Hancock latest Seattle starter to struggle -- but reinforcements are on the way

SEATTLE -- After another loss on Monday night, again at home and again mostly on the shoulders of starting pitching, the Mariners all of a sudden find themselves on a season-long four-game losing streak and facing more questions about their beleaguered rotation.

Also hanging over an 11-5 defeat to the Yankees was a scary moment in the eighth inning, when Yanks third baseman Oswaldo Cabrera had to be carted off the field in an ambulance with a serious left leg injury, which halted play and left both clubhouses sending best wishes.

As for the Mariners’ in-game challenges, the fact that they’re seeing compounding challenges from their starters could be a predicament, given that the club was expected to have one of the sport’s best rotations but instead has seen that group post a 4.54 ERA this season, which is MLB’s fifth worst. Last year, it was 3.38, the sport’s best.

They are without two All-Stars among that cohort, and George Kirby and Logan Gilbert returning from the injured list could help in the potentially near-term future.

Emerson Hancock had been a stabilizer since returning to the rotation on April 17, and he was solid -- with an extra edge, too -- on Monday night until a runaway fifth inning, which ultimately defined his outing.

In that frame, which he entered with a 2-2 tie, virtually anything Hancock threw in the strike zone turned into damage. He surrendered a leadoff homer to Trent Grisham, a single to Aaron Judge, a double to Ben Rice, an RBI single to Paul Goldschmidt and an RBI single to Cody Bellinger before recording his first out.

Then a dagger of a three-run homer to Austin Wells capped a six-spot and evaporated any momentum that the Mariners’ offense might’ve been able to mount -- including a mini rally in the eighth on Cal Raleigh’s 13th homer.

"Losing sucks, and it's part of it,” Hancock said. “And for me, I didn't feel like I did my job. But you also have to be able to bounce back and wake up the next day.”

Making it more frustrating for Hancock -- whom the Mariners were 4-0 behind since his return -- was that he’d only surrendered two hits before the fifth, one being another homer to Grisham that caromed off Julio Rodríguez’s glove and over the fence in the third.

"Sometimes, they're ready for that first pitch, and they made some good swings,” Hancock said. “I made a couple mistakes, and they made me pay for it. But at the end of the day, you've got to keep going after them.”

Hancock’s line (7 ER in 5 IP) was the latest from the rotation amid what’s been a difficult homestand. Add in outings from Luis Castillo (5 ER in 5 IP), Logan Evans (3 ER in 5 IP) and Bryce Miller (7 ER in 5 IP), and Seattle’s starters collectively have posted a 9.90 ERA since Friday against Toronto.

"I'll wear this one, and didn't really give us a chance to win,” Hancock said. “But baseball is what it is, and you move on, you keep working.”

That said, help could be coming soon.

Both of the Mariners’ sidelined All-Stars, Kirby and Gilbert, revealed positive news on their respective progressions before Monday’s series opener.

Kirby (right shoulder inflammation) will make his third and potentially final rehab start on Friday for Triple-A Tacoma in Albuquerque, while Gilbert (right elbow flexor strain) will throw a bullpen session -- his first since suffering the injury -- on Tuesday.

If all goes well, Kirby could rejoin Seattle’s rotation the following Thursday, May 22, in the four-game series opener in Houston, as the Mariners intend to keep him on the six-day routine that he’s been on during the rehab assignment. That should continue for his first few weeks upon returning, too, given that the Mariners have four off-days over a 25-day stretch beginning on May 26.

Gilbert was unsure when his rehab assignment could begin, or how long it would last, but added that he’s felt good at every step. He threw roughly 15 pitches at three-quarter effort on Sunday off a mound and to a standing catcher.

Because he was much more stretched out than Kirby, Gilbert might not need as long of a rehab.