The Farther They Go, The Fresher The Mariners Bullpen Arms Become

Aug 12, 2021; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Marco Gonzales (7) celebrates following the final out of a 3-1 complete game victory against the Texas Rangers at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 12, 2021; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Marco Gonzales (7) celebrates following the final out of a 3-1 complete game victory against the Texas Rangers at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Aug 10, 2021; Seattle, Washington, USA; Logan Gilbert has been as advertised: A solid contributor to the starting rotation with the potential to be a star. Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 10, 2021; Seattle, Washington, USA; Logan Gilbert has been as advertised: A solid contributor to the starting rotation with the potential to be a star. Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /

Rookie Logan Gilbert has eased the burden on the bullpen this season.

Logan Gilbert’s meteoric rise to the Major Leagues has been justified over the last 12 starts. In 10 of his last 12 starts, Gilbert has gone at least 5 innings. If you take out his first 3 starts (which I did in the above stats), Gilbert has tasked the bullpen with 4 innings or less of work in 10 of his last 12 starts. More recently, in his last 3 starts, Gilbert has gone 16.2 innings while giving up 9 earned runs. In those starts, just under 4 relief pitchers have been used.

What Logan Gilbert has done for the bullpen in the majority of his starts this season has been extremely important. He has shaken off the early season struggles and has transitioned into an extremely reliable starting pitcher who consistently missed bats and eats up innings.

Little discussion has occurred about whether the Mariners were manipulating his service time intentionally or if he truly needed the extra innings in the minor leagues to be better equipped for the MLB. Regardless, it has been great seeing parts of the young core like Gilbert, Kelenic, and Raleigh see meaningful time in the MLB this season. Hopefully, they will get the opportunity to play in October this season!