Brady's Spin: Dan Wilson Put Logan Gilbert at Unnecessary Risk in Monday Loss
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The Seattle Mariners struggled once again on Monday night in a 12-7 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The loss dropped Seattle to 68-58 and into a three-way tie in the wild card race with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. All three teams are three games ahead of the surging Cleveland Guardians.
Logan Gilbert put together the worst start of his career in the defeat, giving up six earned runs on nine hits, in just two innings. However, for me, the worst part of this wasn't the overall line, it was the fact that his manager let him throw 48 pitches in a laborious second inning.
Now, let's be frank: I have generally defended Dan Wilson. I like the old-school nature with which the team plays. I like the breaking up of platoons and I like that the team runs more often this season. I like that he trusts guys to get out of trouble. That said, his decision to let Gilbert throw 48 pitches in an inning was irresponsible, and something he needs to learn from.
I discussed as much on the latest Refuse to Lose podcast:
That's 50 pitches in an inning. One inning, 50 pitches for a guy you depend on, for a guy you count on, for a guy you might, or hope at least, to sign long term, for a guy who's extraordinarily valuable. Now, 50 pitches in an inning is too much for anyone but especially for a guy who means what Logan Gilbert means to this organization, both now and in the future.
But it's even more risky and dangerous when that guy who is so valuable to the now and the future has missed seven weeks this season with a serious injury, with serious arm problems.
Gilbert was out from the end of April until June with a strain in his flexor tendon. Furthermore, Gilbert throws max effort on every single pitch, which creates even more stress, and an even greater risk of breakdown.
I understand that Wilson doesn't want to blow out his bullpen in the second inning, and I understand that an 11-pitch at-bat to J.T. Realmuto doesn't help things, either, but the risk just doesn't seem the reward in this one.
Again, I've defended Wilson a lot over the season, but this feels like something he should be learning from moving forward.
You can listen to the full podcast in the player below:
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SCARY SITUATION: Julio Rodriguez was knocked into by a security guard at the Little League World Series complex, avoiding a scary looking injury. CLICK HERE:
SPECIAL BOND: Luis Castillo and Eugenio Suarez have been teammates for several years, and Castillo recently spoke about Suarez's impact on him. CLICK HERE:
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