Mariners on the cusp of ALCS after Logan Gilbert gamble pays off

Initially predicted to start Game 1 of the ALDS, the decision to play Logan Gilbert on the road in Game 3 helps the Mariners beat the Tigers.

When the Seattle Mariners announced George Kirby as their Game 1 starter for this AL Division series versus the Detroit Tigers, it was met with plenty of surprise and some criticism. In the absence of Bryan Woo it was predicted by many that this year’s opening day starter Logan Gilbert would get the ball for this past Saturday’s first game in Seattle.

However, it was actually a compliment in many ways about the faith Dan Wilson and his coaching staff had in Gilbert, as the best available option to pitch on the road in the hostile environment of playoff baseball. And this faith was repaid in droves on Tuesday evening in Detroit, as the 2024 All-Star delivered in style in just his second ever postseason start and the M’s went on to win 8-4.

Yes the offense finally woke up as they delivered eight runs after scoring just a combined five in the opening two games. However, the Mariners don’t win Game 3 if not for the outstanding performance by Gilbert, which became even more prevalent following Caleb Ferguson’s mini meltdown in the ninth inning which whittled a 8-1 lead down to four runs.

Logan Gilbert wanting to emulate iron man Bryan Woo

When it was all said and done Gilbert went 6.0 innings, allowing just four hits, no walks and one earned runs while also striking out seven on 85 total pitches. Speaking to the media postgame, he genuinely felt he could have gone longer as he said:

“I always want to assume that I’m going to keep going and it was still early in the game, but I know we have Gabe down there, whose great against lefties. So you never really know how it’s going to shake out, but I just want to assume I’m always going as far as I can and be aggressive.”

The 28-year-old only really faced any type of adversity once during his outing, in the bottom of the fifth and with the Mariners by that point leading 4-0. He had recorded the first out, but was facing runners on the corners and with a certain Kerry Carpenter coming to the plate.

It was amazing how for a third consecutive game Carpenter came up in the fifth with traffic on base and with the potential to cause some damage. M’s manager kept George Kirby in for Game 1 and it backfired, but took Luis Castillo out the following day and it worked out better.

M’s limit damage by Kerry Carpenter

It speaks volumes once more about the faith in Gilbert that he remained in the game to face Carpenter and it subsequently paid off, at least for the most part. The Mariners got the one out, but just missed out on an inning-ending double play and Dillon Dingler scored to pull the Tigers to within 4-1.

The home side would not get any more runs in that pivotal fifth inning though, as Gilbert got the final out with a ground out to the shallow infield. Asked afterwards about the game plan for facing Carpenter third time around in the game, the righty said:

“Yes I wanted to get the splitter and I felt like he was tracking pretty good actually. I mean some of them weren’t super competitive to him especially, but the slider worked pretty good and I thankfully got him on a fastball up that we saw him hit for a homer earlier in the series, but got it to a good spot today. He’s a great hitter and you’ve got to make your pitches and it felt like I executed when I needed to.”

As much as this felt like vintage Logan Gilbert in a lot of ways, he was a bit more self-critical, while still acknowledging he did what was necessary. He said:

“I mean I felt pretty good. The key is getting ahead and honestly I didn’t do a great job of that, but after that I felt like I was able to make pitches when I needed to. In a game like this you just don’t want to get deep counts all the time and beat yourself and walk guys, so I try to just force contact, make them swing it and the defense played great behind me.”

Mariners able to overcome rain delay

In fairness to Gilbert, his situation wasn’t helped by the three-hour rain delay prior to first pitch, although this only further enhances what he did on the night. Asked about his normal routine being messed up and what he did to stay loose, he said:

“It felt like it took forever, especially before the game when you get kind of antsy and we just kept going later and later. But it really wasn’t too bad. We tried to assume we were about to play in the next 30 minutes and just keep doing that over and over. So I tried to stay loose, kept stretching and throwing balls and that kind of stuff. Not ideal, but it really wasn’t the worst.”

No matter how important Gilbert was to this win – and he really was – this is still a Mariners team forged on a togetherness and fighting spirit which is refreshing to see. Discussing how there were key contributors throughout the roster on the night, he said:

“It’s a huge game, a lot of momentum and I’ve been saying it for a while that this is the most complete team I’ve been on and seen. Our offense did amazing (in) giving me a good lead to work with there. J.P., Geno – so good at baseball and a great teammate too – Cal doing what he does of course. So just having all those guys, it’s a deep lineup and they do a great job. The defense played great, so I think this is a game which shows how complete the team is.”

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Ultimate test of Mariners’ overall roster strength

With the win, the Mariners are now just one win away from their first AL Championship Series since all the way back in 2001. And fair or not, Game 4 will be a prominent test of the strength of this team as a whole, with Bryce Miller taking the ball on Wednesday afternoon in Detroit.

Miller has had a rough season impacted by lingering right elbow inflammation and two trips to the Injured List, but regardless he’s struggled to consistently find the form which made last year so successful for him. He endured a challenging September, and you imagine the Mariners will have him on a short lease in Game 4.

Overall though, there’s plenty to be optimistic about with this Mariners team, with them now having the advantage and two bites of the apple to end the Tigers’ season. And assuming the M’s do advance to the ALCS, the calculated gamble to start Gilbert in Game 3 on the road will stand out as one of the defining decisions of this series.

Photos court​‌esy of Tim Rodgers Photography

How confident do you feel about the Mariners giving the ball to Miller for Game 4 on Wednesday? Do the M’s get the job done in Detroit, or is it back to Seattle for a winner-takes-all Game 5 at T-Mobile Park? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.