Mariners now have 2 All-Star snubs, and it’s likely to stay that way

The Seattle Mariners have just one player headed to the MLB All-Star Game in Philadelphia next week, which is three-time All-Star outfielder Randy Arozarena.

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The full rosters for the American League and National League teams were announced Saturday, and even though Seattle has been on quite the roll on the mound, there wasn’t much speculation that any of the Mariners’ six regular starting pitchers could receive All-Star nods considering where things stood going into the day.

But with the way Logan Gilbert and Emerson Hancock pitched in shutout M’s wins on Saturday and Sunday against the Toronto Blue Jays, it suddenly looks like Seattle has a couple of snubs on its hands. And unfortunately, it will probably stay that way even with replacement players being added to the All-Star rosters.

Dazzling weekend gems

The 29-year-old Gilbert threw an absolute gem on the Fourth of July, holding the Blue Jays to a single hit with seven strikeouts and no runs allowed over 7 1/3 innings. The one-time All-Star (2024) earned the victory to improve to 7-5 on the season, and he lowered his ERA from 3.42 entering the day to 3.19, and his WHIP from 1.01 to 0.95.

With those marks, Gilbert now ranks 10th in the AL in ERA and third in WHIP. He’s also third in the AL with a .205 opponent batting average and 107 1/3 innings pitched, and eighth with 114 strikeouts. It looks egregious on paper now that he’s not headed to Philly, but it’s understandable considering much he improved his numbers with a fantastic outing just after the rosters were finalized Saturday (just not announced until after his start).

The 27-year-old Hancock, meanwhile, followed Gilbert with a seven-inning gem of his own Sunday, holding the Blue Jays scoreless while striking out five and allowing just two hits and two walks. He dropped his ERA from 3.47 to 3.23 and WHIP from 1.05 to 1.01. In the AL, he ranks 12th in ERA and sixth in WHIP, and is tied for fifth in opponent average (.212).

As for why Gilbert and Hancock are unlikely to receive calls to be AL replacement pitchers, it’s that they’re probably going to be in the same boat as the players they would be replacing.

MLB replaces All-Star pitchers who won’t be available to pitch in the Midsummer Classic due to their previous outing coming too close to the All-Star Game itself. While Gilbert and Hancock don’t currently have their next start for the M’s officially scheduled, all signs point to them again pitching Saturday (Gilbert) and Sunday (Hancock) when they wrap up the first half of the season at Tampa Bay.

Potential M’s All-Star replacements

Should Seattle get an All-Star replacement on the AL pitching staff, the best candidate now looks like reliever Gabe Speier, who has a 1.96 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 28 appearances. Though he struggled in the early going of the season, the 31-year-old southpaw had 12 straight scoreless outings after his return in late May from an injured list stint for shoulder inflammation, a streak that ended in the Mariners’ loss in Miami on Monday night.

Another potential Mariners All-Star addition could be outfielder/designated hitter Dominic Canzone, who is slashing .267/.342/.538 for an .880 OPS and is tied for the team lead with 14 home runs in 79 games. The 28-year-old slugger has been nursing a hamstring injury in recent weeks, though, so that could just as easily take him out of the running if a position player spot opens up for the AL.

Seattle Mariners news and more

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• Seattle Mariners Trade Deadline: Market for right-handed bats

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