Luis Castillo managed to do two things for the Mariners on Thursday afternoon. He made their front office look smart while also making their position in the standings even more uncomfortable.
The former Mariners starter allowed six earned runs over four innings in the Chicago White Sox’s 6-2 loss to the Houston Astros. He surrendered six hits, walked two and needed 78 pitches to record 12 outs. Houston scored all six runs during the first three innings, beginning with José Altuve launching a two-run shot into the Crawford Boxes.
We know this version of Castillo very well. Seattle spent most of the season politely waiting for him to disappear. The White Sox probably figured a change of scenery would bring back the ace. Castillo even encouraged that belief when he threw seven scoreless innings and struck out 10 against the Reds in his second White Sox start. However, that vintage performance only lasted the night.
In his last four starts with the White Sox, Castillo has been tagged for 30 hits, 17 earned runs and seven homers across 15 1/3 innings. He has only struck out eight batters during that same stretch. He has a 9.98 ERA over that span and a 7.52 ERA through six starts with them.
Castillo finished his season with the Mariners with a 5.06 ERA across 99 2/3 innings. There were still flashes of the pitcher who once dominated in earlier seasons, yet those flashes were few and far between. Hard contact piled up too often and his starts would unravel before Seattle’s offense had a chance to get anything going.
His final Mariners appearance provided a familiar and unsettling result: five innings, 11 hits and five earned runs against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Mariners sent Castillo to Chicago for Seranthony Domínguez, Nolan Jones and Boston Smith. The White Sox also assumed approximately $30 million in guaranteed salary through 2027. Whatever those three players ultimately become, Seattle’s decision to escape Castillo’s declining performance and remaining contract already looks justified.
Unfortunately, Thursday’s validation arrived with a punchline that hurts. Castillo’s latest collapse handed a victory to Houston, the team Seattle is chasing in the AL West. The Astros improved to 72-69, leaving the Mariners 5 1/2 games behind them entering Thursday night’s game against the Athletics.
We can appreciate the trade. Then we have to look at the standings. The Mariners were right about Castillo. Now they need to beat the Athletics to keep up.
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