Guardians' Opening Day task got even taller with Mariners rotation announcement

The good news for the Cleveland Guardians is that they’re going to miss out on Seattle pitchers Bryce Miller and Luis Castillo during their season-opening series against the Mariners that starts later today. 

The bad news is that the three pitchers they are going to face are still incredibly talented in Logan Gilbert, George Kirby and Bryan Woo. 

While the Guardians may catch a break against the Dodgers thanks to Roki Sasaki’s struggles, they’re going to have their work cut out for them against Seattle's vaunted lineup. 

Guardians are going to face off against some of Mariners’ best starters in opening series 

Let’s break down the pitching matchup for each game of the series. 

Game 1: Tanner Bibee vs. Logan Gilbert

A clash of the titans. This year marks the second straight Opening Day start for Gilbert, and it would be Bibee’s second in a row had he not had a bout of food poisoning last March. 

Gilbert finished last season with a 3.44 ERA in 131 innings despite missing seven weeks with a flexor strain, marking his first career trip to the injured list. He returned in the postseason and tossed 15 innings as Seattle came within a game of the World Series. 

The Mariners’ rotation is filled with aces, and Gilbert’s the best of the bunch. He’s also pitched well against the Guardians in his career (3.82 ERA in 33 innings), though he took the loss in his only start against Cleveland last year. 

Meanwhile, Bibee is looking to author a bounce-back season after an up-and-down 2025 season. 

This could be a low-scoring affair. 

Game 2: Gavin Williams vs. George Kirby 

Last year Williams authored a breakout season where he nearly made Guardians history by tossing a no-hitter against the Mets. But he’s going to make his season debut against Kirby, who had a 4.21 ERA in 126 innings last season. 

While Kirby still hasn’t been able to reach the heights that he touched during his All-Star 2023 season, he’s still a top-tier starter. He also had an injury-plagued 2025 and didn’t make his debut until May due to some inflammation in his throwing shoulder. 

He made two starts against the Guardians last season and took a no-decision and a loss, though his loss came on a day where he allowed just two runs in seven innings. 

But the Guardians may have a slight advantage in this game thanks to Williams, who put it all together with a 3.06 ERA in 167 2/3 innings last year. While he still struggled with his command, Williams racked up strikeouts at a career-best rate and held things down while Bibee struggled. 

He’ll get his first chance to build upon that this year on Friday. 

Game 3: Joey Cantillo vs. Bryan Woo 

Woo was the Mariners’ breakout star last season, as he had a 2.94 ERA in 186 2/3 innings while being a first time All-Star. 

Woo has always had all the talent in the world, but he was at the height of his powers last season thanks to the fact he was fully healthy. 

Last season Woo set a Seattle record by going at least six innings in his first 25 starts of the year, and he eventually finished fifth in the American League Cy Young voting. 

He’d be the top starter in almost every other starting rotation in baseball, but instead he’s the No. 3 starter in Seattle’s rotation. 

The Guardians are countering with Cantillo, who was one of the best pitchers in baseball over the final month of last season and should be a mainstay in the rotation after pitching in a variety of roles last season. 

The Guardians’ rotation is in a much better spot than it was last season, but they’re going to need to match the Seattle’s starters pitch-for-pitch if Cleveland wants to start the season on the right note.