Luis Castillo pitched seven scoreless innings, Mitch Garver hit a three-run double, and the Seattle Mariners defeated the Los Angeles Angels 5-1 on Sunday to sweep the weekend series.
Castillo, who hadn’t won a game since May 12, performed excellently. He struck out six batters and walked three, all on full counts.
Seattle manager Scott Servais praised Castillo’s reliability, calling him the anchor of the starting rotation. Castillo allowed only two hits, a double by Taylor Ward in the first inning and a broken-bat single by Kyren Paris in the third. This was the third time this season he pitched at least seven shutout innings while giving up three hits or less.
Though Castillo struggled initially, pitching coach Pete Woodworth advised him to slow down his delivery. Castillo followed the advice and improved, retiring nine of the last ten batters he faced.
Before the ninth inning, the Mariners had held the Angels scoreless for 19 consecutive innings. However, shortstop J.P. Crawford’s first error of the season led to a run for the Angels on Zach Neto’s two-out single.
The Mariners finished a stretch of 17 consecutive days without a day off with a record of 10-7. Their home record improved to 21-11, tying the second-best start at home through 32 games in franchise history. Only the 2001 team, which won 116 games, had a better home record at 25-7.
Servais emphasized the long season ahead, stating that every day he believes the team will win. He credited the starting pitchers for keeping the team competitive and giving them a chance to win each game.
