Mariners vs. Nationals: Julio is back, Logan limits damage, and J.P. goes yard

Best Pitcher: Logan Gilbert

6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

It was a rough stretch of games for the Seattle rotation. George Kirby gave up five earned runs in six innings and Bryan Woo gave up there earned runs while getting just one strikeout. Woo ultimately earned the win but Logan Gilbert had the best individual performance. He had 11 swings and misses, all of which were split relatively evenly between his slider, four-seam fastball, and splitter. An interesting little nugget was that he earned four called strikes on his called strikes but no swinging strikes.

He also had a little stumble when making a play at first base but it's okay because pitchers are athletes.

The nugget about the cutter is made more interesting by the fact that over the weekend, Jeff Passan referenced it as one of the best single pitches in baseball. I wrote more about how he came to that conclusion and there's some real potential there, but it may have been hard to see in his start.

Honorable Mention: Austin Voth

2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

Seattle's pitching mishaps weren't restricted to the starters this weekend. The bullpen also had a few tragic moments, including Gabe Speier giving up two runs in the seventh inning of the second game and Ryne Stanek's blown save in the final game. Stanek was ultimately saved by his lineup but Speier was not so lucky.

One reliever that bookended the series with strong showings was Austin Voth, taking on a total of two innings of relief in the first and third games. He tied Ryne Stanek and Logan Gilbert for the most total strikeouts on the team in the series. While far from lights out, he's been a decent arm so far with a 3.80 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in his 21.1 innings of work this season.