05/27/23 07:26:00
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05/27 19:24 CDT Luis Castillo strikes out 10 as Seattle Mariners beat
Pittsburgh Pirates 5-0
Luis Castillo strikes out 10 as Seattle Mariners beat Pittsburgh Pirates 5-0
By CAMERON VAN TIL
Associated Press
SEATTLE (AP) --- Luis Castillo struck out 10 in six crisp innings, and the
Seattle Mariners beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-0 on Saturday.
Castillo allowed one hit --- Tucupita Marcano's double on the game's first
pitch --- and walked two. The right-hander earned his second straight win since
dropping consecutive starts.
Gabe Speier, Matt Brash, Trevor Gott and Justin Topa then combined for three
innings of one-hit ball for Seattle.
It was a sharp contrast from Friday night, when Pittsburgh slugged seven homers
in a series-opening win.
"I saw they came out aggressive," Castillo said. "So in my mind, I said, ?OK, I
just gotta throw a variety of different pitches.' And that's what I did."
Castillo's 10 strikeouts matched his most since he was acquired in a trade with
Cincinnati in July.
"I can't say enough about what he means to our pitching staff and what he's
done since he's been here," Seattle manager Scott Servais said.
The Mariners backed Castillo (4-2) with three runs in the first and one in the
second. Ty France hit an RBI double and scored on Eugenio Surez's check-swing
bloop single. Julio Rodrguez added a run-scoring double in the second.
Pittsburgh right-hander Vince Velasquez (4-4) departed after two innings due to
discomfort in his pitching elbow. He allowed seven hits and walked one.
The 30-year-old Velasquez also exited with elbow discomfort in his previous
start on May 4, when he lasted just three innings against Tampa Bay. He was on
the 15-day injured list prior to being activated for Saturday's start.
"Just watching him at the end of the second, he just didn't look like he was
comfortable," Pirates manager Derek Shelton said.
"Having a conversation with him, it just didn't feel like he was in the best
spot, so we decided to take him out."
J.P. Crawford, France and Rodrguez each had two hits for Seattle. It was
Rodrguez's fifth multihit performance in the past six games.
"Julio is starting to heat up as the weather is heating up, which is really
good sign," Servais said.
ROSTER MOVE
Pittsburgh designated right-hander Duane Underwood Jr. for assignment to make
room for Velasquez. Underwood posted a 5.18 ERA in 24 1/3 innings across 20
relief appearances this season. He had a strong April, but struggled to an 8.44
ERA in May.
UP NEXT
Pirates: RHP Luis Ortiz (1-2, 4.02 ERA) makes his fourth start of the season on
Sunday after opening the year in Triple-A Indianapolis. He pitched 7 2/3 strong
innings against Texas in his last outing, allowing just two runs and five hits.
Mariners: LHP Marco Gonzales (4-1, 5.68 ERA) takes the mound. He tossed six
innings of two-run ball against Oakland in his last start, rebounding from a
May 17 outing in Boston that was among the worst of his career.
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