Mariners notes: Castillo shuts down Arizona in rubber match as trade deadline looms
Early and unsurprisingly, it became abundantly clear that Sunday, a vital rubber match in Arizona, was Luis Castillo’s for the taking.
His sinker dove to the dirt viciously, and his fastball rode high at an above-average 97 mph. Opposing Diamondbacks were left routinely fooled, either golfing breaking balls high to the outfield or whiffing completely.
And as Castillo collected scoreless frame after scoreless frame, Seattle’s offense provided sufficient run support in a 4-0 victory at Chase Field, a crucial series win as MLB’s trade deadline looms and remaining games dwindle in the midst of a postseason race.
“I think it’s about a year ago (yesterday) that we acquired Luis Castillo,” manager Scott Servais said. “What a trade. He has changed the whole demeanor around our pitching staff. He is ‘The Rock.’ He is the guy we lean on.”
Perhaps Castillo’s most dominant moment came in the home third, when Seattle led by three runs and Arizona mounted its only challenge. Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll, a Seattle native and NL All-Star starter, represented the tying run at the plate with two outs.
But “La Piedra” silenced Arizona’s best hitter on three pitches. He painted a first-pitch slider for a called strike before Carroll missed the next pair of offerings – dominating, four-seam fastballs atop the zone.
Of Castillo’s first 15 batters faced, 10 fell into an 0-2 or 1-2 count. He retired as many as eight straight in the middle innings and held up a sputtering Seattle offense in the game’s later stages.
Castillo sparkled across six scoreless, surrendering only two hits and a walk. He struck out seven and collected 16 swings-and-misses. Of his 102 pitches, Diamondbacks outfielder Dominic Canzone registered the only hard-hit hall off Castillo – and it was snared at Ty France for a line-out double play.
“(Castillo’s) stuff dashes and darts all over the place,” Servais said. “He just keeps hammering the strike zone. Did it today.”
Meanwhile, the Mariners jumped on Merrill Kelly, forcing Arizona’s starter to throw 41 first-inning pitches. Seattle scored twice in the frame, first on a bases-loaded walk by Mike Ford and again when Ty France’s 500th career hit plated Julio Rodriguez.
“(That gave me) a lot of confidence,” Castillo told reporters through a translator. “You go out there with a couple of runs, and you’re able to have that confidence and throw the pitches where you want them. That’s why I was able to have the outing I had today.”
Shortstop J.P. Crawford launched the game’s only home run, a second-inning blast pulled just inside the right-field foul pole that extended Seattle’s lead to three. He doubled in the ninth, which turned into insurance when Eugenio Suarez singled him home with one out.
It was a series win for Seattle (54-51), though the Mariners are behind six teams in the AL wild card race and trail Texas by 5.5 games for the division lead.
Even with baseball’s second-best record in the month of July (16-9), FanGraphs currently gives Seattle a 16.3 percent chance to return to the postseason. In an ferociously-competitive American League, Seattle may need a storybook run plus help from the clubs above them.
“The guys know where we’re at in the season, quite frankly,” Servais said. “We know we needed to play well to put (us) in a position... we’ve got 48 hours ahead of the trade deadline. ... Our guys want to go after it.”
TRADE DEADLINE LOOMS
The deadline looms, set for 3 p.m. Tuesday. And as of Sunday afternoon, the Mariners have yet to make a splash.
Why? Seattle is stuck at an unenviable crossroad – forced to trade for major league hitters at expense of the farm system, rather than replenishing it for 2024.
Earlier this week, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal named Seattle as a “team to watch” pre-deadline, potentially willing to part with one of its promising young arms. A deal would be rightfully steep for a starter like Bryan Woo, Bryce Miller, or Logan Gilbert. Or, even blooming Double-A Emerson Hancock, who was named Texas League Pitcher of the Month in June.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale named closer Paul Sewald, outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, and first baseman Ty France as potential names Seattle has made available in trade talks.
CBS Sports’ Jim Bowden asked Jerry Dipoto if Hernandez would be a Mariner come Wednesday.
Seattle’s president of baseball operations replied: “I don’t know yet.”
Gilbert has heard the noise. He wants no part of a deal.
“I love it here,” he said after Friday’s start. “This is all I’ve known. It’s got a special place in my heart.
“I hope I stay here.”
Regardless, division rivals are loading up for postseason pushes. On Wednesday, the Angels signaled its intent to compete with Shohei Ohtani by acquiring established Chicago starter Lucas Giolito.
AL West-leader Texas welcomed a future Hall-of-Famer on Saturday, an arm many front offices couldn’t have seen available just months ago: former Mets ace Max Scherzer.
Scherzer waived his no-trade clause with New York and opted into his contract for the 2024 season, guaranteeing the Rangers at least 1.5 years of club control. The Mets received 21-year-old shortstop prospect Luisangel Acuna, the younger brother of Braves outfielder and massive NL MVP-favorite Ronald Acuna Jr.
“We want to be in this thing,” Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh said. “We don’t want to be giving anybody away. We want to be adding, not subtracting.”
MARLOWE SMACKS FIRST CAREER HOMER
A day after collecting his first major league hit, Cade Marlowe one-upped himself. The lefty outfielder and Seattle’s latest call-up smacked his first home run in the major leagues on Tuesday, a breaking ball golfed the opposite way off Twins All-Star starter Pablo Lopez at Target Field.
Marlowe, 26, debuted against Minnesota on July 20 after slashing .255/.332/.461 in 69 games for Triple-A Tacoma.
He initially thought his blast would fall in the gap for extra bases. But it carried well beyond expectations and landed in Seattle’s bullpen, ensuring the ball was Marlowe’s to keep.
A surprised Marlowe rounded the bases and, for the first time, hoisted the team trident.
“I looked up, and it was over,” Marlowe recalled. “I’m just soaking in the moment, and helping the team win however I can.”
The fifth-inning homer cut Seattle’s lead to three runs, part of an inspiring comeback that evened the series with Minnesota. Trailing by four runs in the eighth, Seattle scored seven times in the final two frames; Marlowe added two stolen bases and scored an insurance run in the ninth.
“Cade played an outstanding game,” Servais said. “Really, a shot in the arm for us after losing some other guys to injury. Sometimes, you get an opportunity, and you have to be prepared for it.
“He has been. He’s played great.”
SHORT HOPS
– Julio Rodriguez’s first-inning single Sunday extended his career-high on-base streak to 24 games, the longest active streak in the majors.
– Entering Sunday, J.P. Crawford sees an average of 4.21 pitches per plate appearance, sixth-best in the American League.
– Tom Murphy raked all week. In four games versus Minnesota and Arizona (two apiece), Murphy went 6-for-15 (.400) with a 1.375 OPS and two home runs.
– A baseball rarity for Triple-A Tacoma: Zach DeLoach, Adam Engel, Mark Mathias, and Sam Haggerty launched four consecutive home runs for the Rainiers at Cheney Stadium on Saturday night in a 10-2 victory over Salt Lake. It marked the first time in the Rainiers era (since 1995) four straight batters homered.
ON DECK
The Mariners return to T-Mobile Park on Monday for a rare, brief, three-game homestand. Seattle hosts red-hot Boston (56-48) for three games through Wednesday.
George Kirby gets the nod for a 6:40 p.m. first pitch with Boston on Monday night.
Then another road trip, and another vital series as playoff jockeying continues. The Angels host the Mariners for four games beginning Thursday (Aug. 3-6).
This story was originally published July 30, 2023 at 4:41 PM with the headline "Mariners notes: Castillo shuts down Arizona in rubber match as trade deadline looms."
