Castillo the ‘Rock’ Mariners need in postseason chase

Ace’s latest gem helps Seattle gain on Astros, keep pace in Wild Card hunt

6:53 AM UTC

OAKLAND — When Luis Castillo was dealt to Seattle ahead of the 2022 Trade Deadline, Mariners manager Scott Servais knew the rough contours of what to expect from the talented arm who would become the staff ace.

A year and change later, Servais has a much more complete picture of Castillo, from his steady composure on the mound that has earned him the moniker “La Piedra” to his interests away from the baseball diamond.

“The little things about players, the things that you can connect with them with, are so valuable,” Servais said. “That’s what it’s about. It’s about relationships, trusting guys. We trust ‘The Rock’ anytime, against anybody, in any situation.”

Castillo has time and again come up big for the Mariners, and his latest outing — seven innings of two-run ball in Tuesday’s 7-2 win over the A’s — could be key in helping his team turn the page from a sluggish 7-11 start to September just in time to make a deep postseason run.

Games remaining (11): at OAK (1), at TEX (3), vs. HOU (3), vs. TEX (4)
Standings update: Since the Mariners (83-68) do not currently hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Rangers (83-68), they remain behind Texas for the third AL Wild Card spot and trail the Astros (84-68) by a half-game for the AL West lead.
Tiebreakers: Win vs. Houston (8-2); losing vs. Texas (1-5); likely win vs. Toronto (3-3, tiebreaker based on intradivision record).

As he helped secure Seattle’s second series win of the month, Castillo punched out eight batters to raise his season tally to 207. He became the eighth Mariners pitcher to record a 200-strikeout campaign, joining Robbie Ray, James Paxton, Félix Hernández, Randy Johnson, Erik Hanson, Mark Langston and Floyd Bannister. It’s the second time Castillo has eclipsed that mark, having struck out 226 with the Reds in 2019.

Castillo, though, takes more pride in the consistency and durability that he has shown thus far. The 30-year-old right-hander has completed at least five innings in all 31 of his starts, the only big leaguer to do so this season.

With 188 1/3 innings under his belt and likely two starts remaining, Castillo has a shot at reaching 200 innings for the first time.

“I mean, 200 innings just shows you how much a pitcher went out there and competed,” Castillo said in Spanish through interpreter Freddy Llanos. “So for me, that’s a little more important [than strikeouts].”

As critical as steady performers like Castillo can be, every contending team can benefit from a spark to really kick it into another gear. A resurgent Jarred Kelenic could be just that for Seattle.

Entering Tuesday, Kelenic had struggled in four games since being activated from the injured list on Sept. 11, going 3-for-15, all singles. The 24-year-old outfielder still has yet to regain his power stroke, but he took a step forward by hitting a pair of RBI singles to drive in the Mariners’ first two runs.

Kelenic also took advantage of the Coliseum’s spacious dimensions by covering 125 feet in 6.4 seconds to record an out in foul territory in the fourth inning, stealing an out on a ball that would have landed rows deep in the stands in most other ballparks.

“Any out you can get,” he said, “you’ve got to take ’em.”

After going on a tear to open the season, Kelenic had cooled down considerably by the time he fractured his left foot by kicking a cooler in July.

The early version of Kelenic — who slashed .308/.366/.615 in 26 games between March and April — would go a long way in the Mariners’ final 10-game gauntlet against the Rangers and Astros.

Considering the Mariners’ recent struggles with runners in scoring position, Kelenic’s approach on Tuesday night could be a remedy.

“Jarred did an awesome job laying off pitches to get into those counts and then get the ball up,” Servais said. “In those situations, he handles the ball up very well. He got some pitches up and just served them into left field, that’s all we need. We don’t need a big homer there. Just keep the line moving and pick up those guys in scoring position.”

Though the Mariners, Astros and Rangers are all tied up in the loss column, Seattle is currently on the outside looking in at the playoff picture at the moment. That can change with a sweep in Oakland and a strong performance in the club’s final 10 games, which feature seven against Texas and three against Houston.

It’ll be a sprint to the finish line, but the Mariners are taking it one day at a time.

“The goal is [to] come in here and win this series, but we need to sweep it tomorrow,” Servais said. “We’ve got [to have] the series under our belt, because we have a lot of big games yet ahead of us.”

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