Castillo, Miller still adjusting to 'piggyback' pitching plan

WEST SACRAMENTO -- The Mariners had virtually everything going right on Monday night, a rarity within a season that has bled from frustratingly inconsistent to borderline maddening.

Yet, for all the good that came out of a 9-2 win over the Athletics, not everyone in the visiting dugout at Sutter Health Park was happy about how things played out.

Because the almost unthinkable frustration shown by Luis Castillo illustrated the social and emotional tightrope that the Mariners are attempting to walk amid the piggyback strategy within their rotation.

Castillo was seen slamming his glove into the dugout bench moments after a lengthy exchange with manager Dan Wilson in the top of the fifth, a conversation that obviously did not include audio but showed enough facial expression and hand signals to suggest what was being said.

In the midst of his best start since March within a mostly disappointing season, Castillo was being informed by Wilson that he was being pulled for Bryce Miller, the other arm in this piggyback tandem.

“I was kind of asking, ‘Maybe one more inning?’” Castillo said through an interpreter. “He told me that Bryce was ready. But as a competitor, you kind of want to go out there and just continue. But at the same time, you've got to respect his position. We knew that was part of the plan, and you've got to respect what his decision was.”

The exchange between Castillo and Wilson lasted for nearly the entire half-inning. And because the clubhouses in West Sacramento are beyond the left-field fence, the 33-year-old veteran remained in the dugout until the top of the sixth -- and was seen pacing up and down.

“This is not an easy science, the piggyback thing,” Wilson said. “And I think, always, you're kind of weighing a lot of different things. And a tough decision in terms of 'The Rock,' and I think he just continues to prove to be an incredibly selfless player.”

Castillo was at 68 pitches and had surrendered just two hits with six strikeouts among the 17 batters he’d faced. Miller, meanwhile, pushed Seattle to the finish line with five innings, allowing two inconsequential runs while throwing 83 pitches.

Miller, too, went through a notable adjustment Monday, as it was his first career relief appearance.

“I found out yesterday or two days ago, so I just didn't really know how I was going to navigate it,” Miller said. “Obviously, I think I've got [76] starts over the last four years, plus a couple years in the Minor Leagues. Like, I haven't done this in a while -- really, since college -- pitching out of the bullpen. So I didn't really know how to navigate it. But I just did the best I could.”

The two flip-flopped within the piggyback after the tactic’s first go-round last Tuesday, when Miller started and Castillo followed. In that one, Miller had a similar fate -- and reaction -- upon learning he was being relieved after 72 pitches and 5 2/3 innings and taking a no-hitter into the sixth.

In that one, Castillo followed with two scoreless frames but was sent back out for the ninth despite a 1-0 lead and closer Andrés Muñoz available. Castillo then allowed the first two runners to reach, Muñoz gave up consecutive singles to allow them to score and Seattle absorbed arguably its most agonizing loss of the year.

It’s possible that they flip-flop again the next turn through, which would be Sunday against the D-backs. So far, the Mariners are committed to only using these two for the piggyback -- in part because Miller just returned from spending almost two months on the IL, and Castillo had been their most inconsistent starter while Miller was sidelined.

“It's a plan that for at least my seasons here in the Major Leagues, I've never seen this piggyback,” Castillo said. “But it's something that you'll eventually get used to. All I've got to do is continue working and just doing the plan that they set up for us.”

In an odd reality Monday, at least given Castillo’s frustration, Wilson and the rest of the Mariners’ decision makers probably couldn’t have drawn up the outcome and pitcher usage more effectively.

Their offense put up a six-spot in the third -- their most in a single inning this year -- and finished with four homers.

That gave the arms -- and more so, management -- plenty of breathing room to map out pitch counts and keep both Castillo and Miller stretched out. Yet, that ideal allocation took a backseat to the broader dynamic that’s been at the rotation’s forefront the past two weeks.

Which is that some might not be happy about when and how they’re used.

“That's the plan,” Castillo said. “In times when he's got to start, I've got to come through the bullpen. That's the plan. I've got to get used to it and come out and just do my job.”