When Logan Evans walked into the home clubhouse at T-Mobile Park for the first time Saturday afternoon, he was greeted by a hug from fellow Seattle Mariners pitcher Logan Gilbert.
It seemed fitting because the right-handers both call each other “Big Lo,” and also because Gilbert’s first career trip to the injured list apparently will lead to Evans’ start in his initial major league game Sunday afternoon, against the visiting Miami Marlins.
Gilbert, an American League All-Star last season who made his first Opening Day start last month, pitched three perfect innings against the Marlins in the series opener Friday night before leaving with tightness in his right forearm. He underwent an MRI early Saturday that revealed a Grade 1 strain of the flexor in his right elbow.
Gilbert is being shut down from throwing for the next two weeks and was placed on the 15-day injured list.
“I would have been really surprised if it was something really bad, but you never really know and especially when it never got quite back right,” Gilbert said. “But even I feel better (Saturday) already than yesterday. We probably don’t want to rush anything. We’ll see. But optimistic.”
Evans, the Mariners’ top pitching prospect, was 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA at Triple-A Tacoma. He got word that he’d be headed to majors late Friday night and immediately phoned friends and family members in Michigan, waking up several at 1 a.m. He said he expects about 10 of them to be in attendance in Seattle on Sunday.
As for his first start, Evans, 23, said he hopes to keep things simple.
“Just keep being me. Just be a strike thrower, use all my pitches, strike out guys when I get them into those two-strike counts is kind of what I was working on, and really just making quality pitches when I need to,” Evans said. “It wasn’t really anything like reinventing the wheel. Just kind of buying into me.”
Gilbert likely will sit in his customary non-starting day spot in the first row of the dugout, hanging over the railing to offer whatever help he can.
“There’s a lot of things I wish I knew at the very beginning (of my career), and I don’t want to ever pile on too much when there’s a lot on your debut and that kind of stuff,” Gilbert said. “But I want to be able to help him, help any of the younger guys. Like questions they have and especially him going through it and just not treating it too different. His slider is so good. His stuff is so good. I told him, ‘You’re plenty good, just throw strikes.'”
The Mariners, who have won 12 of their past 17 games to move into a tie with Texas atop the American League West, will look to win their sixth straight series.
Jorge Polanco hit two homers, Julio Rodriguez and Mitch Garver went deep, and Luis Castillo pitched six scoreless innings of one-hit ball in a 14-0 victory Saturday over Miami to even the interleague series at a game apiece.
“They were aggressive and put some good swings to barrel it up … they were on it,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said of Seattle’s outburst.
The Marlins are set to send right-hander Max Meyer (2-2, 2.10 ERA) to the mound on Sunday.
Meyer, the third overall pick in the 2020 draft, is coming off six scoreless innings with a career-high 14 strikeouts in a 6-3 victory against visiting Cincinnati on Monday.
“Maybe you have five starts a year that everything feels like it’s clicking and every pitch is doing exactly what you want it to do.” Meyer said. “… I hope to watch the video and do that every single game.”
–Field Level Media
