HOUSTON -- There are many job descriptions that lay out all the responsibility of the position before adding in the line "other duties as assigned."
Consider this under the category of other duties as assigned for Mariners starter Logan Gilbert.
At some point this season, Gilbert was appointed with the responsibility of collecting the home run trident from the Mariners player celebrating a long ball. At home, the trident has a specific location where it hangs down the steps from the M's dugout. On the road, it often leans against a wall somewhere around the dugout.
"I just take it from them afterward so I can lift it up and try and stay relevant," the currently injured pitcher said before the series finale Sunday against the Astros.
Gilbert's responsibility as collector of the trident garnered a little extra attention this week when it was clear he was having some extra fun with Astros fans.
The most notable moment came Friday night when catcher Cal Raleigh hit what proved to be the winning two-run homer in the seventh inning of Seattle's 5-3 victory, its only win of the series.
After Raleigh finished carrying the trident through the dugout, Gilbert made a point of raising the points of the trident above the lip for the dugout for fans to see again. And again. And again, with a big smile on his face
Allow Gilbert to explain.
"So it started because, I mean, at home too, but on the road, the Mariners fans usually sit right above the dugout, so I would hold it up and they would always scream and cheer because they think I'm Julio or Cal or whatever, and showing the trident and they're cheering," he said.
"This was the only place that the other day, for the first time, I held it up and they just started booing right above the dugout," he continued.
So Gilbert did what any good foe of a division rival would do.
"First I was like, 'What?' because I expect it always be Mariners fans. So people thought I was like trolling them, which is what it is. Whatever. But I'm doing it usually expecting cheers from the Mariners fans. And then here it was boos the other day."
Someone else might become responsible for Gilbert's job here shortly. Gilbert, who's been out since late April with a flexor strain in his right elbow, is expected to throw a bullpen Monday and should all go well likely start a rehab assignment in the minors potentially next weekend.
Memorial Day resting at home
For the second time in four seasons and only the sixth time in franchise history, the M's will not play on Memorial Day.
The M's are one of six teams not playing on Monday this year.
This year is the fifth time since 2000 the M's aren't playing on Memorial Day. That includes the 2020 season that was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and didn't start until the middle of the summer.
The others were 2002, 2003 and 2022.
The Mariners are 30-13 on Memorial Day, which is their best record by win percentage of any formal or informal holiday. Including games already played this season, the M's are 15-11 on Easter, 24-23 on Mother's Day, 29-17 on Father's Day, 20-25 on the Fourth of July and 18-27 on Labor Day in their history.
Rotation vs. Washington
The M's will keep the rotation intact for the upcoming series against the Nationals beginning Tuesday night. Logan Evans will start the opener with George Kirby making his second start since returning from the injured list on Wednesday and Emerson Hancock on Thursday.
If all goes well with a bullpen session Monday, Bryce Miller could be slotted back into the mix sometime next weekend when Minnesota arrives for a three-game set.