SB Nation • 3 min read

Facing Logan Gilbert is a good trial run for the postseason

Postseason pitching is often so different that it can easily come as a shock to the system, not just in terms of whom you face, but how those pitchers are managed. Coming from that angle, a series to wrap

up the regular season against the Seattle Mariners might be the best thing for a Dodger team with nothing to play for in these final games. Right after seeing George Kirby and his pristine command, it doesn’t get any easier for Shohei Ohtani and company with Logan Gilbert on the mound.

An absolute workhorse since he first came up, Gilbert dealt with a big health scare this season as he was sidelined for a few months with a forearm strain. Gilbert recovered to get back in late July and has picked up right where he left off, striking out more batters this season than he ever has in his career.

The likes of Kirby and Gilbert are who you’ll see for the most part in playoff baseball, so you might as well get an early jump on things. While stringing hits off these elite arms can always be a challenge, one timely home run might make the difference. Not only is that what we saw in Friday’s game against Kirby, but it’s also been the one avenue to get Gilbert lately, with the righty allowing a home run in all but one of his last eight starts. All of these home runs hit off Gilbert have served as the only way to do damage against him more than the cause of blowup outings, considering he has allowed more than three runs only once in this period.