On Saturday, Seattle Mariners rookie left-hander Kade Anderson delivered a solid first start in a hopeful career full of them.

Anderson worked 5.2 innings, surrendering three earned runs against the vaunted Chicago Cubs lineup. He left trailing 3-2 but walked away with a no-decision after Randy Arozarena hit a walk-off home run to give the Mariners a 5-4 win.

Seattle is now 62-68, but they are just three games back in the American League West and two games back in the wild card.

The damage against Anderson could have been more limited had manager Dan Wilson removed him before he allowed two home runs in the sixth inning, a decision that was heavily scrutinized on social media.

Regardless of how you feel about that, something became pretty clear on Saturday: Anderson is not a guy you can count on for more than 75 pitches, at least not right now.

For understandable reasons, Anderson was coddled at the minor league level. He only completed six innings three times. He never threw more than 80 pitches in a game. He threw 81 on Saturday. Pitch 80 and 81 went for home runs.

Even before he got to pitch 80, I remarked to someone in the fifth inning that Anderson's velocity was down from where it started, and I wondered if he was tiring. In hindsight, that was probably the case.

Which brings me back to my original point: He's not a guy you can count on for more than 75 pitches right now. Sure, you'd like to test him a bit and let him grow, and you might get away with it, like Wilson tried to do, but you also might not.

So, it's a fine balance for the Mariners, who want to develop their future ace and put him in different situations, but also have meaningful games in front of them that impact their ability to make the playoffs.

So, what are the options with Anderson the rest of the way? Let's look at them, after we first revisit Saturday again really quick.

While no one has to like it, I think it's fairly clear. Everyone watching the Mariners right now knows that they are an arm or two short in the bullpen. Seattle used Eduard Bazardo, Seranthony Dominguez, Gabe Speier and Andres Munoz the night before, and Jose Ferrer worked in multiple games in Milwaukee. Michael Rucker threw a bunch in Thursday's loss to Milwaukee.

All the leverage guys were somewhat taxed, so I think Wilson fears going to his bullpen early and forcing more of those guys into the game - or forcing some of the lower level arms into the game. I think he trusts tiring starters more than some of his lowest-leverage relievers.

Even though there was a clear exit point for Anderson after he allowed a leadoff double in the sixth inning, I think Wilson was just trying to "steal" extra outs in order to limit the number of bullpen arms that needed to be used, because he knows he doesn't have a lot of them that are trustworthy at the moment.

So, what are the options?

Wilson let Anderson start the sixth inning at 72 pitches. As I said, he was clearly trying to "steal" the sixth inning with him, and he let him go beyond 75, and then beyond 80.

The Mariners can keep trying this, where they manage the situation based on "feel," while also giving Anderson a chance to push beyond his minor league comfort zone.

Again, on some days, it might work. And on others, like Saturday, it won't. It doesn't seem like the best situation, frankly. The team needs to be prepared for Anderson to come out at the 70-75 pitch mark, whether that's in the fourth inning or the sixth inning, and they need to be prepared for it, thin bullpen or not.

If you want more structure to the whole thing, this could be the way to go. Anderson needs to be removed between 75 and 80 pitches. Bryce Miller has struggled to go deep into games lately, meaning he might be better in shorter spurts. Could the Mariners elect to have Anderson start and throw somewhere between 4-6 innings before turning to Miller?

That could work, but you will run into all kinds of problems at some point, won't you? What if Anderson goes 5.2 good innings and leaves with a 3-2 lead. Will the Mariners really shoehorn Miller into the situation, potentially letting him throw pitches that are better served for Gabe Speier, Jose Ferrer, or Andres Munoz?

Will they pull Miller, giving him only 20-30 pitches and reducing his pitch count?

Also: we're still trying to figure out the impact of Bryan Woo's shoulder discomfort. If he needs to miss a start or go on the injured list, then Miller has to remain in the rotation anyway.

Frankly, this is the one that I'm going for. 

The 30-year-old Criswell is a reliable innings eater out of the bullpen who was solid for the Mariners earlier in the year before hitting the injured list in June. In 26 games, he had a 3.52 ERA.

Well, he just started a minor league rehab assignment at Triple-A Tacoma on Saturday. When rosters expand on Sept. 1, he's likely to be called up, presuming he's healthy again.

He's used to coming in games on short notice and he's used to throwing multiple innings. I think he should be the guy ready to come in and help bail Anderson out.

If Anderson is able to throw six full innings, then fine, you can go straight to the leverage arms. But if those 70 pitches happen in the fourth inning, then Criswell is a guy who can come in and carry you through into the sixth or so where the leverage arms will be waiting.

If Criswell is able to come back on Sept. 1, then that means that Anderson will only need to make one more start without him as a safety net. That start is likely to come Friday in Toronto against the Blue Jays.

The most recent edition of the 'Refuse to Lose Territory' podcast is out, talking about Kade Anderson's call-up and featuring a conversation with Mariners infielder Ryan Bliss. You can listen here, or you can watch in the YouTube player below.