A Crack in La Piedra

 

Yesterday was a rare occasion this season where an opposing offense got to Luis Castillo.

The last few years I've had issues with Castillo's high ERAs, despite breathtaking mechanics. Even in 2019, which was his 15-8, 226 K season, he still had a 3.40 ERA, which would later balloon to a 3.98 ERA in 2021, a season where he lost 16 games. Castillo has always been a very good pitcher, and the kind of ace that one would want on their side, but he'd always skirted the line between good and great far too many times for me. Last season, though, was definitely an improvement, and the Mariners got some excellent stuff from him during the back half.

This year, though, Castillo has been the Mariners' best pitcher, and despite Logan Gilbert, Robbie Ray and George Kirby being on this team, it hasn't exactly been close. Castillo's ERA is now a 2.70 after allowing 3 runs to the heart of the Rangers' lineup yesterday, but even then he's still coming away with prime career numbers, including 52 Ks, a 0.99 WHIP and a winning record. This is his age 30 season, and while most pundits thought that it was an excellent idea for the Mariners to lock Castillo up for the foreseeable future, there was some doubt that the pitcher, like Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake before him, wouldn't exactly be the same after leaving Cincinnati. So far, that couldn't be further from the truth, and the fans in Seattle have rallied around La Piedra sufficiently.

The Ms themselves, by no fault of their own, have been a bit disappointing to start the year. Again, not having Robbie Ray, and having to start rookies every 5 days, can do that, but thankfully these rookies have been people like Easton McGee, injury aside, and Bryce Miller, who's been incredible through 3 starts. And while both Logan Gilbert and Marco Gonzales have struggled more than they've thrived this year, George Kirby has not only proved himself as an innings eater but a strong force, with a 2.62 ERA and 35 Ks in 7 starts. 

I do think that a large portion of the lineup, including Kolten Wong, Teoscar Hernandez, Eugenio Suarez and A.J. Pollock, have held the team back a bit, even if France, Kelenic, Julio and Crawford have done well. It's honestly as simple as the fact that the Mariners are playing more okay than well right now, and for teams like the Angels, Rangers and Astros, 'okay' is easier to beat than more consistently great. And that's why the Mariners are below .500 and in fourth.

I'd love for this to turn around, especially considering what was set up last year, but it is gonna take a lot of pieces to jump-start instantaneously, which doesn't happen often. For now, I'll just hope the pitching stays this strong, and that Castillo stays this sharp.

Coming Tonight: An extremely young shortstop that only really took a year to catch fire in the majors.