Following news of the adjusted rotation for the All-Star break, the Mariners reported that Tom Wilhelmsen will get his first major league start tomorrow as the bullpen covers the series finale against the Twins. Per Greg Johns, Wilhelmsen is expected to last no more than 3-4 innings, but McClendon is "intrigued by his potential as a starter". Heaven help us.
Tonight, Roenis Elias takes the mound against the Twins, looking to break a streak of two starts with five earned runs apiece. He last faced the Twins in mid-May, lasting seven innings and giving up six hits, four runs, a walk, and striking out four hitters for his third loss of the year. It might take another complete game shutout to pull a win out of the lineup today-- Elias is sitting on two consecutive losses with just one run of support between them.
The team will go head-to-head against 26-year-old Kyle Gibson, who is coming off of his shortest season start against the Yankees. The right-hander lasted two innings, giving up six hits, six runs, a walk, and striking out zero batters. He's 1-0 against the M's this year after holding them to six hits, a run, and two walks in a seven-inning outing.