Through three starts this season, Seattle right hand Logan Gilbert has thrown his Splitfinger Fastball 70 times.
And has not yet allowed a hit.
Gilbert (0-1, 2.55 era) will put that line on the line on Sunday afternoon when host mariners go for a three-game-sweep against one of their American League West drives, Texas Rangers.
“There is so much variation in the plan itself,” Gilbert said. “I don’t know what it does. The hitting does not know what it does. (Catcher) Cal (Raleigh) doesn’t know what it does. So just throw it and Cal plays the goalkeeper there and tries to block it.”
This is perhaps why Raleigh not only won a Gold Glove Prize last season but also Platinum Glove as the best defender in Al.
“It’s tough because it’s not like it does the same thing every time. You just have to be ready for anything,” Raleigh said of Gilbert’s pitch. “It’s a good pitch because it’s hard to recognize and sit on.”
Rangers had a similar problem Saturday night in a loss of 9-2.
They seemed to have mariner starts Bryan Woo on the ropes in the first round with a run and the bases loaded without outs. But Woo got Joc Pederson to fly out to shallow right field, knocked out Josh Jung and Jake Burger to get out of jam and did not allow another driving over his seven rounds.
Texas has lost 15 of his last 19 matches against Seattle.
“We have had a hard time up here and they have good pitching,” said Rangers Manager Bruce Bochy. “We just got money when we have these chances in the first round.”
Rangers will send the veteran’s right hand Nathan Eovaldi (1-1, 2.19) to Haugen on Sunday. Eovaldi is 2-3 with a 5.46 era in 11 career start against Seattle; Gilbert is 4-2 with a 2.59 era in 13 starts versus Texas.
Raleigh hammered himself for the second straight night while using a “torpedo” bat. He met a tiebreaking, two-run Homer outside the facade of the second tire in the eighth round of a 5-3 victory Friday and a 420-foot solo shot to the direct center on the fifth Saturday.
Julio Rodriguez went 2-for-5 with a driving triple Saturday and Luke Raley was 2-for-3 with a double and three RBI when Mariners won his third game in a row.
“To see the ball (down) the line, in the gaps, get to the wall, guys who drive the bases hard, that is really what we are looking for,” said Mariner’s manager Dan Wilson, whose team tied their season high for runs. “And they could really do it (Saturday) in a big way. You start stacking hits like that, you will do some runs.”
The sailors are 4-1 at their six-match home against the Division Rival Houston and Texas after being swept last weekend in an interleague series at San Francisco.
“Although it is early (during the season), we obviously understand that all games play a role,” Woo said. “You lose some tough games in San Francisco, you come back here and win a couple of tough games.
“So it’s just the kind of things you try to build on and remain consistent, kind of building that foundation for the rest of the year. So super important, obviously good to win these series at home and go for the sweep (Sunday).”
-Field level media
