Mariners shift from piggyback, giving Gilbert long runway vs. Guardians

CLEVELAND -- The Mariners are ditching the piggyback, at least for one day.

The club announced a few hours before Saturday night’s game against the Guardians that it was adjusting its rotation alignment, giving Logan Gilbert a standard start and pushing Emerson Hancock to Sunday. Hancock was initially slated to follow Gilbert on Saturday.

They will also push George Kirby from Sunday to Monday against the Angels at T-Mobile Park.

Gilbert has been on a roll, leading the Mariners to a 6-0 record over each of his past six starts. During that stretch, he’s averaged just over six innings per outing -- with a 1.49 ERA, a 0.80 WHIP, 43 strikeouts and 10 walks while holding hitters to a .492 OPS. Over his first 10 starts, Gilbert had a 4.45 ERA and was averaging 5 2/3 innings per start.

Had he been in the piggyback, Gilbert would've been capped at five innings, with Hancock slated for the final four.

Gilbert most recently pitched last Sunday in Seattle, as a first-time dad on Father’s Day, meaning that he’s already operating on an extra day of rest.

Hancock, however, last pitched on June 20, which would line him up for a full seven days’ rest -- and an eight-day routine, which is explicitly what the Mariners wanted to avoid when going to a rotation-wide piggyback two weeks ago.

Hancock is coming off his first stretch of consecutive clunkers this season, having given up a combined 11 earned runs across his past two starts (9 1/3 IP). But he was arguably the most consistent of their six starters leading up to that point, with a team-best 2.74 ERA and 8-5 team record. This late change would also give him a full start against a Guardians team that he held hitless with nine strikeouts on March 29.

Gilbert and Hancock would’ve represented the piggyback’s second of three turns through leading into the All-Star break. Bryce Miller and Luis Castillo went first (in a June 19 loss to Boston) and Kirby and Bryan Woo were slated to be the caboose (though when hadn’t yet been announced).

This story will be updated.