Seattle, WA
How pitches by Seattle Mariners' Logan Gilbert may look different
The offseason is a time for tinkering, and the Seattle Mariners have an admitted “notorious” tinkerer in their starting rotation in Logan Gilbert.
Servais: Seattle Mariners’ ‘high expectations’ in large part due to pitching
Gilbert, 26, is entering his fourth MLB season and has been a great and reliable pitcher for the Mariners since making his debut in early 2021.
Gilbert joined Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk on Monday and dove into what he got up to this offseason and much more.
“I was messing around a little bit with a cutter and two-seam (fastball),” Gilbert said. “I moved on the rubber a little bit, and I’m not sure if that’s going to stick yet, but I was playing around with that.”
My list of the top six storylines starts with putting the past behind them. Great stuff today from Logan Gilbert on how Scott Servais started that process this offseason.
Want the other five? https://t.co/nlxclpZAc7 pic.twitter.com/07o1vKakyk
— Mike Salk, Seattle Sports (@TheMikeSalk) February 27, 2024
Gilbert said he’s practiced moving to the third base side of the rubber in part because he had more success against lefties than righties in 2023, which isn’t very common. Additionally, hitters did more damage against his four-seam fastball last season than in his first two years.
“However, my off-speed (pitch) was a lot better. So if you remember from like ’21, that completely flipped,” he said. “So now I’m trying to pair up the good off-speed with the fastball that I had in ’21 or kind of supplement that with a cutter and two-seam, which can get guys off of the four-seam and then also that can help perform better against righties. And I think if I move to the third base side, there might be a little deception or like a better horizontal angle coming in where I’m not really behind a righty but kind of from that angle, and then a two-seam can get (inside) and a cutter might get off the barrel.”
When diving into his numbers and data from last season, the reverse splits stood out, as did how his fastball lost spin compared to previous seasons.
“I went into the video, the super slo-mo with my fingers, how it’s coming off the ball. There were little differences from a couple years ago, but it’s really hard to recreate,” he said. “So then I was kind of at a standstill, and then I talked to the coaches and that’s kind of how we landed on where we’re at right now.”
Gilbert has made it no secret that he uses data and analytics to hone his craft. So how does he, as Brock and Salk put it, not get “paralyzed by the data?”
“That’s been a problem for me at times more so years ago,” he said. “I’m not saying I’m perfect now, but I kind of learned how to deal with it.”
Gilbert said he’s worked with mental skills coaches, which has helped him a lot when he’s in games.
“I’ve kind of just gotten to a point where I do my drills, I can think about what I want to think about if I’m trying to accomplish something movement-wise. But for whatever reason when I get on the mound, I just shut my brain off even to the point that I don’t like calling my game or even shaking (off pitches) really at all,” he said. “It’s just whatever the catcher puts down. They know me better than me probably. So I just completely shut my brain off and go, ‘I’m not thinking about anything.’ If anything, I can feel what I’m doing in real time if I need to make an adjustment, but I’m not thinking about where’s my arm (and things like that).”
While he’s not a mental skills coach, Luis Castillo, the Mariners’ All-Star starting pitcher, has also helped Gilbert a lot with the mental side of baseball.
“When we talked about the paralysis and all that stuff, he actually has helped me a lot there because I’ll still revisit that overanalysis at times throughout the year,” Gilbert said. “Once or twice a year, I’ll throw a bullpen and he tells me the same thing. He’s like, ‘Don’t think, don’t change, don’t try.’ He tells me the same thing every time, and that’s what he does and it works. And he can see when my gears are kind of turning and he’ll tell me that every time he says, ‘You think too much, you try too much,’ and ‘don’t change.’”
Listen to Brock and Salk’s full interview with Logan Gilbert at this link or in the video player near the top of this story.
More on the Seattle Mariners
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• Haniger, who never wanted to leave Mariners, happy to return
• Cole Young shows why he’s Seattle Mariners’ top prospect
• Wait – does Mariners’ Ty France have some wheels now?
• Mariners Injury Updates: Why Julio Rodríguez hasn’t played yet
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Seattle, WA
Seahawks Will Host Rams Or 49ers In Divisional Round
The Seahawks will host an NFC West opponent in the divisional round of the playoffs.
Whether that opponent is the Rams or the 49ers will be determined on Sunday when the 49ers play the Eagles in Philadelphia. Also still to be determined is the date and time of the game.
The Rams, who are the No. 5 seed, beat the Panthers on Saturday to advance, and since Seattle, as the No. 1 seed, hosts the lowest-seeded team that advances out of the wild card round, the sixth-seeded 49ers would come to Lumen Field if they win on Sunday. If the Eagles win, however, the Rams would come to Seattle, while the Eagles would head to Chicago to face the Bears, who beat the Packers on Saturday night.
The Seahawks split the season series with both teams, losing to the 49ers in Week 1 and the Rams in Week 11 before beating the Rams in Week 16 and the 49ers in Week 18 as part of a seven-game winning streak that helped them win the NFC West and earn the No. 1 seed.
Next weekend’s game at Lumen Field will be the Seahawks’ first home playoff game with fans in the stadium—they hosted a wild card game in an empty stadium following the 2020 regular season—since they beat the Lions in the wild card round during the 2016 season. Prior to that empty-stadium loss to the Rams five years ago, the Seahawks won 10 consecutive home playoff games dating back to the start of their Super Bowl run in 2005. The Seahawks have reached the Super Bowl in each of the three previous seasons that they earned the No. 1 seed.
Seattle, WA
Paul Arriola, Pedro de la Vega and the Seattle Sounders return in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’
Forgotten. Absent. Inconsistently healthy. Weights of expectation.
These heroes offered glimpses and scenes of their greatness in 2025.
Paul Arriola, X Man
Paul Arriola gave us a glimpse of his former greatness before his injury. Once a DP, once the highest value transfer within MLS, once recruited to skip MLS entirely for what was at the time a much better league, Arriola’s all comps contributions per 90 would compare to wingback style players Jordi Alba and the now-gone Ali Ahmed.
Arriola slides right in that space, with his 0.57. Now, a discerning reader such as yourself will imagine small sample sizes and opponent quality. You would be correct. But Paul also put up similar numbers in MLS in 2018, 2021 and 2022. His time in MLS as a whole is .40/90 (in the realm of last season’s Christian Espinoza).
Defining Arriola’s role is always going to be hard. He’s played as many wide roles as exist in the modern game. With Seattle, he could be a left or right winger in a four-front if they choose to run a 3-2-4-1, or a wingback in a 3-4-2-1 or a conventional winger in a 4-2-3-1. No matter his role, he’s been strong. His calls to the US National Team ran every year from age 20-27, when he put up better numbers there than he did in league play. He’s now 30.
Pedro de la Vega, the injury saga
Sounders fans know how bright Pedro can burn. So do, Lanus fans, Argentina fans, Cruz Azul fans, Santos Laguna fans, Tijuana fans, Puebla, Galaxy, Inter Messi and a smattering of other MLS teams. The Leagues Cup player of the year and wonder goal nominee is absolutely thrilling, when available.
Lanus, Argentina and Seattle also know his history of injuries. Injuries are why he’s in Seattle.
PdlV only played 41% of available minutes in all competitions. A healthy winger of his quality should be around 66% or so. His absolutely stellar all comps performance of 0.72 is on par with Hany Mukhtar, at 20th in MLS play. Pedro is ahead of Diego Rossi, Djordje Mihailovic, and Dejan Joveljić.
When you think about how the Seattle Sounders will make up ground for the inevitable decline of Danny Musovski the names Arriola and de la Vega should be bandied about.
They weren’t merely better than the people who replaced them on the Sounders – they’re better than the majority of high-profile players in the league.
In 2025 Craig Waibel raised the floor and the peak. Injuries gave us only a few glimpses of that peak.
2026 is when the multi-competition heroic Sounders can once again show their prowess and why their presence as a top tier club is eternal.
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Catching up on Sounder at Heart
Here’s what you missed on the site this week.
Sounders
Next match: Sunday, February 22, 2026 v. the Colorado Rapids | 6 p.m. PT | Apple TV/FS1
Reign
Schedule to come next week.
Defiance
Schedule to come.
Looking back at the news
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Seattle, WA
Here’s why the Blue Angels in Seattle on Monday
SEATTLE – Known for their high-flying skills above the skies during air shows, the Blue Angels will be in Seattle once again on Monday.
But with Seafair not until the summer, many are wondering why the Navy pilots are in the Emerald City ahead of schedule.
Blue Angels F/A-18 Hornets are flying The Diamond Roll (four planes in formation), doing a 360-degree roll as one unit, flying at 400 mph over Lake Washington for the Seafair weekend in Seattle. (Photo by Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Keep reading to find out why the U.S. Navy Blue Angels are in Seattle on Jan. 12.
Why are the Blue Angels in Seattle now?
The Blue Angels returned to Seattle on Monday to begin preseason planning for the 2026 Boeing Seafair Air Show.
Pilots will assess airshow locations, scouting the skies and getting familiar with the landscape ahead of the Seafair Weekend Festival, when they perform in three separate air shows. Their visit brings the iconic Blue Angels F/A-18 Super Hornets to the city, the aircraft pilots use during the air show.
Blue Angels pilots plan to stay in Seattle until Tuesday, coordinating with Seafair event organizers. Last year, only two Blue Angels pilots were in Seattle for preseason planning, instead of the entire squadron.
When are the Blue Angels coming back to Seattle?
The Blue Angels will fly back to western Washington for the 2026 Boeing Seafair Air Show, on Friday, July 31 – Sunday, August 2, 2026.
They’ll also be in town for two practice runs on Thursday, July 30.
When is the 2026 Seafair Air Show?
The U.S. Navy Blue Angels will perform in three air shows throughout Seafair weekend. They’re happening each afternoon on July 31 through Aug. 2 on Lake Washington and at Genesee Park.
The multi-day Seafair Weekend Festival also includes the Apollo Mechanical Cup Hydroplane Races, along with live entertainment, food and drinks, and family-friendly activities. Tickets for the festival go on sale in February.
Who are the Blue Angels?
The Blue Angels is a team of elite Navy flight demonstrators, showcasing their aviation skills in high-speed, precision aerobatic performances.
They perform in air shows across the U.S. each year, with the goal of inspiring a culture of excellence and service to country, displaying the teamwork and professionalism of the United States Navy and Marine Corps.
Formed in 1946, this year marks the 80th year of the Blue Angels. They take pride in performing for audiences both at home and abroad, showcasing the excitement, precision, and power of Naval aviation.
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The Source: Information in this story came from U.S. Navy Blue Angels, Seafair, and FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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