Luis Castillo pitched seven scoreless innings, extending Seattle’s streak of strong starting pitching, and the Mariners’ bullpen secured a 3-2 win over the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night.
Castillo retired the last 11 batters he faced and only allowed three hits against the Braves, who boast one of the top offenses in MLB. He received a standing ovation after throwing 103 pitches and striking out seven batters.
After starting the season with four losses, Castillo has now won three consecutive decisions and has given up just two earned runs in that span.
Mariners manager Scott Servais praised Castillo’s killer instinct on the mound, emphasizing his ability to dominate when he’s ahead in the count.
With Castillo’s impressive performance, Mariners starting pitchers have now allowed two earned runs or fewer in a franchise-record 18 straight games.
The Mariners, leading the AL West, have also made history by being the first team in MLB to achieve an ERA of 1.60 or lower and tallying 160 or more strikeouts in an 18-game stretch.
Castillo, at 31 years old, expressed pride in his younger teammates’ contributions to the team’s success, highlighting their maturity and skill on the mound.
The Braves experienced their first back-to-back losses of the season, becoming the last team in the majors to do so. They had a chance in the fourth inning to score but were unable to capitalize, with Castillo striking out a batter and inducing a groundout to end the threat.
