Logan Gilbert admittedly carried some rust into his first rehab start at Triple-A Tacoma on Thursday night, but it was nonetheless a positive step in the right direction as the Mariners’ towering ace works his way back from the injured list.

Mariners ace Logan Gilbert, on the injured list since April 26 with a right flexor strain, was back on the mound Thursday in Tacoma for his first rehab start.

Seattle Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford had some words for home plate umpire Andy Fletcher on Thursday. In the sixth inning of the Mariners' game against the Washington Nationals, Crawford was rung up on a called third strike from starting pitcher Mackenzie Gore with runners on the corners,

The Mariners are a home favorite (-158) against the Twins (+133). The Seattle Mariners will give the start to Bryan Woo (5-2, 2.40 ERA), who is looking for win No. 6 on the season, and the Twins will counter with Zebby Matthews (0-1, 7.71 ERA).

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The logjam within the Mariners’ soon-to-be-healthy rotation saw its first transactional movement on Wednesday, with rookie Logan Evans getting optioned to Triple-A Tacoma one day after pitching an eight-inning gem and lifting Seattle to victory.

Preview the May 29 matchup between the Seattle Mariners and Washington Nationals with odds over/under, game spread, betting lines and more.

A day later, after the initial shock and disappointment subsided, Logan Evans had a mature perspective about his demotion from the Mariners to Triple-A Tacoma.