By JANIE McCAULEY | AP Baseball Writer
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Even out on Puget Sound during an off-day fishing excursion last week, Luis Castillo did his share of winning: He pulled in the most salmon and left Mariners manager Scott Servais in awe and admiring his skill set yet again.
No surprise to anybody in Seattle the way Castillo’s spectacular season is going.
“I’m a guy who loves to fish,” Castillo explained with a smile after his latest pitching gem. “There’s always been the saying out there that in the sea life is sweeter. It was a happy moment with Scott and the pitching coach. We had a beautiful morning.”
J.P. Crawford homered in the ninth inning and Jarred Kelenic hit a pair of RBI singles to support Luis Castillo’s eighth consecutive winning decision, leading Seattle past the Oakland Athletics 7-2 on Tuesday night.
Castillo (14-7) struck out eight over seven innings, topping 200 Ks while pushing toward 200 innings — a mark that will mean more to him given it shows how dependable and competitive he has been.
In all 31 starts, Castillo has lasted at least five innings.
“He loves to fish,” Servais said. “The little things about players, the things that you can connect with them with are so valuable. That’s what it’s about, it’s about relationships, trusting guys. And we trust the Rock, anytime, against anybody, in any situation. It’s fun to get to know him because there’s a lot going on inside. He caught more fish, but it was a great experience. It was a lot of fun.”
Castillo has won three straight starts and is 8-0 over his last 12 since a July 14 loss to Detroit. Castillo needs one win to match his season high, set with Cincinnati in 2019.
Seattle (83-68) remained tied with Texas for the last AL wild card berth and closed within a half-game of AL West-leading Houston (84-68).
“Wow, I can’t say enough about the season Luis Castillo has had,” Servais said. “He just keeps adding on, awesome outing tonight. He has been so solid. He is the rock. Every time out there he’s given us great effort, a chance to win and he’s on a great roll right now. … I hope he’s got a few more outings like that in him, we’re going to need it here down the stretch.”
The A’s (46-105) lost their sixth straight and fell 59 games below .500 for the first time since the Philadelphia A’s were 47-106 on Oct. 2, 1920.
Oakland manager Mark Kotsay was ejected in the fifth by first base umpire Jansen Visconti for arguing a check swing. Then later that inning Julio Rodriguez’s single was overturned upon review after the A’s challenged. Rodriguez then singled in the ninth for his first hit at the Coliseum this season in 16 at-bats.
The game was played under smoky skies from wildfires in Northern California and Oregon.
Crawford and Teoscar Hernandez each added RBI doubles for Seattle, which jumped on A’s starter Paul Blackburn (4-6) early. He is 5-12 over 27 career …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
