SEATTLE -- Max Castillo had been back up with the big league club for less than a day before becoming the lone bright spot in a gloomy 8-3 Blue Jays loss against the Mariners Thursday night at T-Mobile Park.
After losing starting pitcher Kevin Gausman to an ankle contusion last weekend, Toronto was hoping that it could fill his spot in the rotation with a decent outing from the combination of opener Anthony Banda and Casey Lawrence.
But that plan quickly went awry. Banda allowed two runs on two hits in one-third of an inning, and Lawrence came in and allowed five more runs on seven hits over 2 2/3 innings. With a sea of royal-blue clad Toronto fans to cheer them on, the Blue Jays pitching staff continued to struggle. The bullpen, which has already thrown 39 innings this month, was again pressed into duty.
But things could’ve been worse if not for the solid pitching of Castillo, who was called up from Triple-A Buffalo on Thursday with Yusei Kikuchi going on the 15-day IL. Castillo worked through three innings, allowing one run on one hit with five strikeouts.
With Kikuchi and Gausman both dealing with injuries, the rest of the weekend would look a lot more bleak for Toronto if not for Castillo’s effort. Since making his Major League debut against the Yankees on June 19, Castillo has a 2.38 ERA and 0.79 WHIP over 11 1/3 innings, with 15 strikeouts.
“Since the first time he pitched, he’s been really good,” manager Charlie Montoyo said. “Throwing strikes, 95 [mph], good changeup. The slider has been really good. That was a bright spot tonight, for sure.”
Aside from Castillo, Toronto pitchers have struggled lately. In eight July games so far, pitchers have allowed five or more runs six times, combining for the most earned runs of any AL team in that span, with 51.
“At the end of the day, someone has to pitch well to give you a chance,” Montoyo added. “They didn’t do it today.”
On offense, the Blue Jays had plenty of hits against Mariners pitching, but couldn’t translate them into runs with seven runners left stranded. Toronto's batters finished with eight hits and three runs against Seattle starter Marco Gonzales, but combined for just two hits against relievers Penn Murfee and Diego Castillo. It was also the third time in the past four games that Toronto hitters didn’t draw a walk.
“It’s a little tough when you’re behind,” Montoyo said. “They’re trying to be too aggressive, but that is what happens when you’re behind. That’s what’s going on right now. In many of the games, we’ve been behind early on.”
Seattle scored first in the bottom of the first inning when first baseman Carlos Santana and catcher Cal Raleigh each drove in a run with RBI singles. The Blue Jays answered with a run in the top of the second when Lourdes Gurriel Jr. reached on a single and scored on a throwing error by Seattle third baseman Eugenio Suárez. In the bottom of the second, Seattle scored again to make it a 3-1 game when Dylan Moore hit a ball to the left field warning track that bounced in and out of Gurriel’s glove, and over the wall for a home run.
It was a play that will almost certainly be shown time and again on blooper reels, but it wasn’t a big deal to Montoyo.
“I’ve seen it before,” Montoyo said. “I mean, he’s played great. That’s a tough play, and, at the end of the day, that run didn’t really mean anything.”
The Mariners' offense poured it on in the third, with Suárez driving in two on a single, quickly followed by a two-run homer from Cal Raleigh. The Blue Jays scored two in the top of the fifth on RBI singles from Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., but gave one back in the bottom of the fifth on a laser-beam homer to left field from Suárez off Castillo, which ended Seattle's scoring for the night.
It was the only hit that Castillo allowed over his three innings.
“I think the key was the location on pretty much all my pitches,” Castillo said. “Fastball, secondary pitches, every time I get my location working, I feel like I’m on. So, yes, my location was perfect tonight.”
While it was yet another loss in what has been a tough month so far for Toronto, Montoyo is optimistic that Castillo’s relief appearance set the team up for success in the rest of its four-game Seattle tilt. Ross Stripling starts Friday against George Kirby, and with Castillo’s help, the bullpen might just be OK.
“Tonight, we had to cover the game, and thanks to Castillo, the plan should be fine for tomorrow,” Montoyo said. “That was good to see. … He has pitched really well.”