The Seattle Mariners’ AL pennant celebration was poised to happen Sunday night in Toronto. Yet, in part due to Logan Gilbert’s struggles, the party will have to wait for at least one more night.
Gilbert struggled amid the weight of trying to pitch the Mariners to their first World Series in franchise history since the ace allowed five runs, four earned, and two home runs in just 4 1/3 innings in Seattle’s 6-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6 of the ALCS.
The series is deadlocked at 3 apiece. Game 7 will be Monday at 8 p.m. ET.
Logan Gilbert Struggled Finishing Off Blue Jays Hitters
Gilbert was second on the Mariners behind only Bryan Woo in strikeouts (173) and averaged almost seven per game. Yet, in the postseason he has had a troubling trend of failing to finish opposing hitters, and that continued again Sunday.
After striking out seven in six innings in his first postseason start, in Game 3 of the ALDS against the Detroit Tigers, Gilbert has struck out just seven over nine innings in three appearances since — and he fell victim to Toronto’s contact-laden lineup, especially in the bottom of the second inning of Game 6.
Seattle’s defense didn’t help Gilbert, since they committed two huge errors in the second inning that allowed Daulton Varsho and Ernie Clement to reach with none out.
But Gilbert could have picked up his struggling defense if he could make a pitch after getting ahead 0-2 on the Nos. 7 and 8 hitters, Addison Barger and Isiah Kiner-Falefa.
Instead, he came overthrew his splitter to Barger and allowed an RBI single to Barger then got beat on his No. 4 pitch, his curveball, by allowing a single to Kiner-Falefa that made it 2-0.
Ironically, Gilbert managed to record two of his three Ks in the second inning — only after the initial damage had been done. Plus, Eugenio Suarez picked him up by saving two runs with a diving stop that ended up being an inning-ending 5-4 putout.
Gilbert did not pick up another strikeout from there though and was again one pitch from getting out of the third inning before he gave up a two-out triple to Clement and a no-doubt homer to Barger that made it 4-0 and all but set up a Game 7.
âWhen I made a mistake, they didnât miss it, for sure,â starter Logan Gilbert said, according to The Athletic’s Tyler Kepner. âTheyâre a good team, but yeah, it is going to stay with me for a while.”
Double Plays Haunt Mariners Offense In Game 6
The Mariners offense pressured 22-year-old Trey Yesavage and also had the chance to deliver a knockout blow to the budding ace by loading the bases with one out in consecutive innings in the third and fourth.
But Yesavage first induced a sparkling 3-6-1 double play to end the third inning on potential AL MVP Cal Raleigh to keep it 2-0. Then, leading 4-0 and facing the prospect of giving it all back, Yesavage caused JP Crawford into a 4-6-3 DP — which according to ESPN, made the M’s the first team to ground into double plays with the bases loaded in consecutive innings in MLB postseason history.
“We did have some opportunities to score, and we did get some base runners on,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “But you give a little credit to Yesavage. The secondar[y pitches] that he had tonight were good. It kept us off stride and kept the ball on the ground for those double plays.”
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