Dodgers are showing Mariners a can't-miss model for burying piggyback for good

Just because the Seattle Mariners aren't piggybacking Bryce Miller and Luis Castillo during their 10-day, 10-game, three-city road trip does not mean the experiment is dead. Unlike the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Mariners haven't committed to using a six-man rotation by default.

Such a shame.

Yes, it does feel awkward saying this in context of what the Miller-Castillo pairing actually did in three applications. They handled 27 innings and yielded a 1.67 ERA and a 0.741 WHIP, basically replicating what would be an elite three-start run for a single pitcher.

It's just that the more compelling reality right now is what the Dodgers are doing with their own six-man rotation. Even with Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow on the injured list, their starters have produced league-best marks with a 1.96 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP.

Of course, there are different circumstances at play in LA. As Katie Woo of The Athletic covered, the team values the extra recovery for Shohei Ohtani that a five-man rotation would not provide. The extra time is also good for fellow Japan natives Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki. Otherwise, neither Emmet Sheehan nor Justin Wrobleski is established as an innings-eater.

With the exception of Emerson Hancock — who's topped out at 16 starts in the majors — none of the above maps perfectly onto Seattle's six starters.

The Mariners have good reasons to consider a 6-man rotation both now and later

And yet… and yet… the appeal of going to a six-man rotation permanently can't be denied.

If nothing else, it would dissolve the tension between Miller, Castillo and the team over the implementation and communication issues that have surrounded the piggyback. And even if moving to a six-man rotation would require each starter to adapt to a different routine, at least they would have some assurance that the shift wouldn't be temporary.

As for how to sell the shift, how about with these days-of-rest splits for the rotation so far:

There isn't a logical progression in terms of ERA, but it is there in WHIP and OPS. And besides, even that 3.62 ERA for the starters on four days of rest obscures how Logan Gilbert (4.35) and George Kirby (4.64) are well over the 4.00 threshold, while Hancock (3.94) is close to it.

In the background, meanwhile, is the still-fresh threat presented by how only Castillo didn't spend time on the injured list last year. The Mariners survived until Game 7 of the ALCS despite that, but they could have gone farther if they had been able to avoid burning out Bryan Woo.

There's also the Kade Anderson factor to consider. MLB Pipeline's No. 6 prospect is speeding toward the big leagues fast enough to be on the radar for a potential rotation spot. And if there are no injuries, having a six-man rotation in place would make the puzzle easier to solve. Only one person (most likely Castillo) would have to go to the bullpen.

Given the results the Mariners have gotten from the piggyback, all this may prove to be no more useful than shouting into the void. But they say it's a copycat league, and the temptation should be there when the two-time defending World Series champions are showing how it's done.

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