M's Gilbert to miss Texas League playoffs

Right-hander Logan Gilbert, the Mariners' No. 2 prospect, has been shut down and will not pitch for Arkansas in the Texas League playoffs.
Gilbert was included on the Travelers' roster for the North Division finals against Tulsa, but was informed of the organization's decision hours before Game 1 on Wednesday night, the Seattle Times reported.

"He's not going to be happy about this," Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto told the newspaper. "And that's a good thing."
The 22-year-old had a breakout debut season, compiling a 2.13 ERA in 26 starts while progressing three levels. He opened with Class A West Virginia, where he was 1-0 with a 1.59 ERA, 0.66 WHIP and .118 opponents' batting average in five starts. Promoted to Class A Advanced Modesto on May 1, he went 5-3 with a 1.73 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 12 starts, holding foes to a .228 average on the hitter-friendly circuit.

Gilbert moved up again on July 15 to Double-A Arkansas, where it took him all of one start to find his footing. After giving up five runs on five hits over 5 1/3 innings in his Texas League debut, the 14th overall pick in last year's Draft yielded four runs over 35 frames in his next six outings. That included three straight scoreless starts from Aug. 13-24, a stretch during which he was named Pitcher of the Week.
The streak ended in his last outing on Sunday, when he surrendered five runs on seven hits over 4 1/3 frames at Corpus Christi. That brought his season total to 135 innings. He combined to go 10-5 with a 2.13 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and .198 opponents' batting average.
"In summary, his season could have not gone any better and that's why we don't want to push the envelope here," Dipoto told the Times. "With 135 innings pitched, and that was our goal, we don't see the need to push him out there. While we want to win a championship here, we want to remember the big picture. Unless something goes wildly wrong, we see Logan pitching in the big leagues next year, and to take a chance here and pushing him when he's tired, that's not what we are here for."