Mariners: Castillo and Raleigh star in 6-1 win over the Guardians

Luis Castillo dominates and Cal Raleigh hits two home runs, as the Seattle Mariners take control early in Cleveland on the way to an important victory.

Following on from a sweep of the hapless Tigers, the Guardians were expected to represent a tougher challenge. For one game at least this wasn’t the case, as the Mariners won 6-1 on Friday night in Cleveland.

The last time Luis Castillo faced the Guardians he was excellent, but the Mariners still lost their one game of the series. On this occasion, the righty produced another outstanding effort and Seattle won.

Of course, Castillo pitching well is nothing knew since arriving in a trade from Cincinnati. Save for a start against Oakland, he’s been as good as — if not better than — advertised.

Excellent command

On Friday night specifically, the two-time All-Star threw 96 pitches in six innings. He allowed just five hits, one walk and no runs.

While Castillo’s four Ks were his third-fewest of the season, 66 of his pitches still went for strikes. His slider was particularly effective, as it produced a 55 percent whiff rate.

In total, the 29-year-old has a 2.39 ERA , 2.83 FIP and 1.062 WHIP in six games for Seattle. From a team perspective, they’ve gone 4-2 in this time.

Castillo was asked afterwards what he liked about the game, together with the challenge of facing the same opponent again so soon. Speaking through an interpreter, he said:

“What I liked the most is that we won. We won and it was important for us. And also the command that I had on the mound … it felt the same. Obviously last time out I was able to strike out 10. Today it was four, but we got the job done.”

Manager Scott Servais understandably had nothing but praise for his staff ace. He said:

“Luis was awesome again tonight. He just dominated the strike zone and went right after them. He looked as good as he has done at any point. He’s just on some kind of roll right now, a ton of confidence with all his pitches. Cal did a nice job with him as well.”

Best in the American League

Talking of Cal Raleigh, he’s the other main contributor worthy of mention. He provided the bulk of the scoring for the Mariners on Friday night.

Raleigh had two hits in the game, the first of which came in the top of the second when his solo home run made it 2-0 to Seattle. However, it was his second hit in the top of the sixth which effectively sealed the win.

With two runners on, the 25-year-old was true and deep with his blast to center field. At 6-0, the game was all but over.

With a batting average barely above .200, Raleigh may not be perceived as much of a hitting threat. However, he makes it count when he does have contact with the ball.

Following Friday night’s game, Raleigh leads all AL catchers with 21 homers and is tied for the overall Major League lead. In addition — for what it’s worth — Seattle is 17-2 in games when he hits a home run.

Servais discussed the improving impact of Raleigh as the season has progressed. He said:

“If you look at how the season started for him and where he’s at right now, I don’t think anybody could have predicted this. It was in there, but you just don’t know when it’s going to come out. I’m really, really proud of him. And not just the home runs and what he’s done offensively, but the job he does behind the plate. He makes an impact every night, whether he gets a hit or homer or not.”

In terms of behind the plate, Castillo considers Raleigh one of the best and has a lot of confidence in him. As for Raleigh himself, he said:

“That’s something you can take pride in every day. You’re not going to go out and get two home runs every game, or even a home run, or even a hit every day. That’s just how it is, it’s the game. But you can always go back there and try to control the other hitters, trying to game plan against them, take pride and take care of your pitcher out there. That’s number one. The hitting comes second.”

Mariners produce from top to bottom

Servais also spoke about the production at the bottom of the lineup in general. He said:

“It’s key. It’s how you win in this league. You can’t just lean on two or three guys at the top. You need to have one through nine, guys who chip in and they do it in their different ways. Some guys have walks, some guys are getting homers, some guys are really aggressive running the bases. We have different ways to attack the opposition. As long as guys just show up and just do their job, don’t do too much, we’re usually in pretty good shape.”

In respect of being in pretty good shape, the Mariners remain in the second AL wild card spot. (At least based on winning percentage and head-to-head record with the Rays). They will send Robbie Ray to the mound on Saturday night, in the hope of winning the series with a game to spare.

Despite Friday night’s dominant victory, it still figures to be a tough series in Cleveland overall. How many of the remaining two games do you predict the Mariners will win? Let us know in the comments section below.