Gonzales could receive another trial in the Mariners' rotation after tossing four scoreless innings in relief in Saturday's victory over the Athletics, Bob Dutton of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.
After Yovani Gallardo failed to escape the third inning to put the Mariners in an early hole, Gonzales came up big in his first appearance out of the bullpen, striking out five batters while conceding two hits and no walks as Seattle scored a come-from-behind victory. Though Gonzales submitted an ugly 7.40 ERA and 1.98 WHIP over his previous five starts in August with Seattle, his numbers weren't dramatically worse than what Gallardo has posted in a starting role this season, so the Mariners may be motivated to see if the 25-year-old can demonstrate some improvement in a second trial in the rotation. Manager Scott Servais wouldn't commit to starting Gallardo during the Mariners' series with the Angels next weekend, so the team brass will likely think things over during the next couple of days before determining if Gonzales would be a better option.