Mariners: 3 takeaways from series win over the Oakland Athletics

1) Best start yet for Gilbert

Logan Gilbert had shown glimpses of his potential during his first Major League start, followed by a step back in his second outing. His third start on Tuesday night proved to be his most promising yet.

Four innings may not seem like much, but this doesn’t take away from what Gilbert produced against a dangerous Athletics ball club. He allowed four hits, two earned runs and no walks, before leaving the game with the Mariners leading 4-2.

The 24-year-old’s fastball remained his most reliable pitch, as it generated 13 called strikes and swinging strikes. On the subject of strikes, he threw 51 in his 78 pitches, including 12 first-pitch strikes against the 17 batters he faced.

Gilbert’s other pitches remain a work in progress, with him only recording one strike and three swinging strikes from 35 combined sliders and curveballs. He also threw a few changeups, with Servais pleased with this particular pitch.

Gilbert was asked specifically about his changeup following the game. Speaking to the media, he said:

“Yes, it’s finding spots to use it. I think I threw a couple tonight and got one ground out, which was pretty good.

“The feel has been good and I’ve been working on it a lot in bullpens. It’s just taking it out there into the game and finding the right situations where you want to drop it in there and just continue to build confidence.”

Gilbert faced some adversity during the second, which is a good way to find out what a young player is made of. All of the damage he allowed was during this inning, with the aforementioned four hits and two earned runs.

However, the 2018 14th overall draft pick displayed his mental fortitude to bounce back rather than fall apart. During the following two innings he only allowed one runner to get on base, after he hit Sean Murphy with a pitch.

Gilbert did not return for the fifth, due to a combination of being brought along slowly and throwing 32 pitches during the second inning. As a result, he missed out on the opportunity to claim his first Major League win.

The Apopka, Florida native admitted he wanted to continue pitching, but he understood the reasons why he was removed when he was. In respect of the balance between gradual progress and not pitching how he wants to, he said:

“It’s definitely different up here (in the Majors); I’m finding that out right away. I’m not really used to things like this, which is a great challenge for me.

“I’m really excited about it, but at the same time I’m used to things going more smoothly. So it is a good challenge up here and I’m finding out a lot about who I am as a pitcher and trying to find ways to get (batters) out.”

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