Speaking Tuesday morning on Seattle Sports 710, Seattle Mariners pitcher Logan Gilbert said that his turn in the team's piggyback rotation will be Saturday in Cleveland against the Guardians.

Following him will be Emerson Hancock.

As they attempt to navigate their 6-man rotation, the Mariners have decided to give each starter a chance at the piggyback until the All-Star break. It's framed as a way to keep everybody stretched out and available as a starter, while also limiting some innings at a time of the year where pitchers are starting to get worn down. The piggyback, as opposed to the true 6-man rotation, also helps the bullpen and keeps guys on more regular rest.

The plan has drawn frustration from Mariners fans who are disappointed at seeing starting pitchers pitch well, only to be taken out while they have manageable pitch counts. For instance, Bryce Miller was removed on Friday night against the Boston Red Sox while trailing only 1-0.

Miller threw five innings and gave up just one run while striking out seven. Luis Castillo came in in the sixth and threw a scoreless inning inning, but gave up four runs in the seventh and the Mariners were down 5-0 when, perhaps, Miller could have kept the team in the game.

The 29-year-old Gilbert is 6-4 with a 3.29 ERA this season. He's gone six innings or more in each of this last three starts, but it's unclear if he'll get the chance to do that on Saturday because of the piggyback arrangement.

Hancock is coming off three consecutive starts where he's failed to finish the sixth inning. He surrendered five earned runs in 5.1 innings against Boston on June 20. He's been a revelation this season, going 5-4 with a 3.60 ERA thus far.

He has experience as a reliever, so he shouldn't be phased by the idea of the piggyback. He worked as a reliever down the stretch for the Mariners a season ago, even appearing in the bullpen in the playoffs.

Seattle enters play on Tuesday at 40-39 and in first place in the American League West. They own a 1.5-game lead on the Athletics and Texas Rangers heading into a new series with the Pittsburgh Pirates. 

First pitch on Tuesday is 3:40 p.m. PT as George Kirby takes the mound.

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