Overview
- The Mariners announced Saturday that they put their rotation 'piggyback' plan on hold for the Cleveland series and gave Logan Gilbert a traditional start while moving Emerson Hancock and George Kirby back one day.
- Manager Dan Wilson said the change was made to give starters extra rest and was not a reaction to Gilbert’s recent run of strong starts.
- In this setup, 'piggyback' means pairing two pitchers every fifth day so one follows the other, a tactic Seattle used to avoid long idle gaps and to spread innings evenly across six starters.
- The scheduling move leaves Hancock pitching eight days after his previous outing and shifts Kirby and others to gain extra recovery time during a stretch that includes only one off‑day before the All‑Star break.
- Seattle has alternated all season between a six‑man rotation and piggyback outings to manage workloads, and the club said it may revisit the piggyback plan before the All‑Star break depending on upcoming off‑day patterns and pitcher health.