Gilbert gets Game 2 call with Mariners eyeing 2-0 ALCS lead

TORONTO -- Between his start in Game 3 of the American League Division Series last Tuesday against Detroit and what will be his next start in Game 2 of the AL Championship Series on Monday in Toronto, Logan Gilbert threw 34 pitches off the mound at T-Mobile Park in Seattle on Friday, about the same schedule a starter would keep with a side session in between his starts.

But it wasn't a side session -- it was his first relief appearance in the Major Leagues, in front of 47,000+ screaming, exhausted Mariners fans. And it came in extra innings of an eventual 15-inning ALDS Game 5 classic that Seattle will never forget.

A high-leverage relief outing in a winner-take-all game was not a normal side session, but the Mariners are viewing it as one nonetheless. Gilbert will take the ball Monday night in Game 2 of the ALCS at Rogers Centre with a chance to send the Mariners back to Seattle with a two-game lead in the best-of-seven series after taking Game 1 on Sunday, 3-1, over the Blue Jays.

"The way we're looking at it is he took a side session in the game with 40,000-plus people there,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said postgame. “He's ready to go. He's excited. He wants the ball.”

Indeed, this is what Gilbert lives for, has worked for, and wants, without a doubt. Heavy workload be damned. This is October.

“We talked about it today, and they basically just asked me if I was good to go,” Gilbert said. “Of course I said, ‘Yeah,’ right away. They wanted me to see how I felt in catch play, if my arm felt normal, and it did. It was kind of unusual circumstances a few days ago, but I treat it as a bullpen, or very high-intense bullpen, and hopefully just be feeling good, ready to go.”

Gilbert has been a workhorse for the Mariners this year, posting a 3.44 ERA across 25 starts in the regular season. He was their Game 3 starter in the ALDS, when he threw six innings of one-run ball in the Mariners’ 8-4 win.

As the Mariners got deeper into the ALDS last week, Gilbert adjusted his routine to be ready for a bullpen outing if it came to that. He hasn’t thrown much between his outings, which is different for him -- but an adjustment he’s willing to make this time of year.

"I like to practice a lot and get my work in, but in the playoffs you kind of just get ready for the games,” Gilbert said. “I've been toning down the practice throws a little bit.”

Wilson declined to name Monday's starter before the ALCS started on Sunday, saying he wanted to see the state of his pitching staff after Friday’s 15-inning affair. Sunday was not an ideal spot as the club mapped out the pitching plan, especially after the bullpen covered 10 innings on Friday, including the two scoreless from Gilbert and 1 1/3 innings from Luis Castillo.

But the effort the Mariners received Sunday from Bryce Miller -- the only starter who didn’t throw on Friday -- helped immensely. Miller tossed six innings against the Blue Jays, allowing only a leadoff homer to George Springer and settling down after that. Relievers Gabe Speier, Matt Brash and Andrés Muñoz combined to throw 24 pitches over the final three innings in holding Toronto hitless, which also sets Seattle up well for Monday.

"Bryce coming out in that first inning and giving up that first-pitch homer, he settled in [after that], and that was so big for us,” Brash said, "bridging the gap there to the bullpen. All of us went out there, attacked the zone, made them put it in play. And good things happen when you do that. I can’t say enough about Bryce, though. Incredible stuff.”

With their pitching staff in better shape because of Sunday’s effort, the Mariners feel good about putting Gilbert on the mound Monday. They could have gone with Castillo, considering he only threw 15 pitches in his relief outing Friday compared to Gilbert’s 34.

But Castillo has struggled on the road this season, pitching to a 4.71 ERA with opposing offenses hitting .302 against him in 15 starts. At T-Mobile Park, though, Castillo posted a 2.60 ERA, with opponents batting .192 against him. Turning to Gilbert on Monday potentially saves Castillo for the ALCS games in Seattle, although George Kirby would be on regular rest by Wednesday’s Game 3 after starting on Friday. And at some point, the Mariners hope to factor Bryan Woo into their pitching plans, with the righty on the ALCS roster but still recovering from pectoral inflammation.

However it plays out, the Mariners are in a better spot than they could have imagined following the taxing 15-inning marathon just a few days ago. And with Gilbert on the mound Monday, they feel even better.

"It’s been a heavy workload,” Speier said. “I don’t expect anything else in the postseason, but that was big from Bryce. … It just shows the resiliency of this team. We played a good game tonight. Travel’s tough, we played 15 innings in that game. But we were able to get it done tonight.”