Mariners right-hander Luis Castillo left Sunday’s sport as a result of a pressure in his left hamstring, and can bear an MRI on Monday to evaluate the injury. Castillo instructed reporters (together with Adam Jude of the Seattle Occasions) by way of interpreter that some discomfort first arose within the fourth inning when he moved on the mound to evade a throw that by no means got here from catcher Mitch Garver on an Ivan Herrera stolen base. Two pitches after Herrera’s steal, Castillo grimaced on the mound after his follow-through, and left the sport after a go to from trainers.
“The discomfort’s there. Tomorrow we’re going to get some [tests] performed, simply to see what it’s, however hopefully it’s not too unhealthy,” Castillo stated.
With the Mariners battling for both the AL West title or a wild card, dropping Castillo would put a critical dent within the membership’s playoff hopes. Seattle ranks at or close to the underside of the league in a number of main offensive classes, but the M’s have been carried by their elite rotation. The rotation has been each efficient and sturdy — of the 21 starters who’ve tossed at the very least 161 1/3 MLB innings this season, 4 of them (Castillo, Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, and Bryce Miller) pitch for Seattle.
Bryan Woo has had a pair of IL stints, with Emerson Hancock moving into the rotation in Woo’s place to take 9 begins. Hancock (at the moment at Triple-A) is the likeliest candidate to return to the employees if Castillo has to go on the injured checklist, but the previous high prospect hasn’t been very constant in opposition to huge league hitters. Hancock has a 4.76 ERA in 45 1/3 innings and a 4.50 ERA in 12 innings in his 2023 debut season, and solely a 13.8% strikeout price in his temporary MLB profession.
Whereas Hancock is a greater sixth starter than most golf equipment possess, there’s nonetheless no straightforward approach to substitute Castillo. The three-time All-Star hasn’t been fairly as efficient as he was when ending fifth in AL Cy Younger Award voting in 2023, however Castillo nonetheless has a 3.64 ERA over 175 1/3 innings this 12 months. His strikeout and stroll charges are nonetheless above the league common, and whereas Castillo’s four-seamer has dropped in velocity from 96.3mph in 2023 to 95.5mph this season, it stays one of the vital efficient pitches in baseball.
