KANSAS CITY, Mo. – By the unwritten and often interpretive standards that those in baseball use when defining a starting pitcher as an “ace,” Marco Gonzales probably does not fit the lofty criteria.
But in terms of mentality and responsibility, well, Gonzales is the Mariners and he showed why he’s been pushed to that position by manager Scott Servais and general manager Jerry Dipoto
With a bullpen heavily taxed from Felix Hernandez’s one-inning start the day before and a rookie who has never thrown a pitch in the big-league game serving as long relief, Gonzales stepped to the mound knowing his team needed and expected to get at least six innings from him.