The Seattle Mariners will piggyback Luis Castillo and Bryce Miller during their next turn through the rotation, with manager Dan Wilson saying Friday that the club is ready to try the plan. Seattle has not yet decided which of the two right-handers will start Tuesday’s home game against the Chicago White Sox.
Miller made his season debut Wednesday night in Houston and delivered 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball on 81 pitches. Castillo followed Thursday in the series finale against the Astros and allowed three runs on four hits and three walks while striking out six over 5 2/3 innings. Wilson said both pitchers have been accepting of the idea, and he believes the setup could give the bullpen a night off.
“That’s the approach we’re going to take and we’re ready to roll,” Wilson said. He added that the club is in a good spot with the extra day the arrangement could create for some arms, and said the players understand the move is being made with the team in mind.
The Mariners had been using a six-man rotation after Miller returned from the injured list, but the picture has shifted again as Seattle tries to manage its staff through the middle of the season. Emerson Hancock has held onto a rotation spot during a breakout start, posting a 3-2 record with a 3.02 ERA, 56 strikeouts and 10 walks over 53 2/3 innings in nine starts. That has made the competition for innings tighter than expected.
Castillo’s place in the rotation also came into question after he struggled following a strong first start of the season. Over seven starts from April 5 through May 9, he had a 7.79 ERA in 32 1/3 innings, and opponents hit.329 against him. His latest outing against Houston, though, was a step forward for the three-time All-Star and the highest-paid pitcher on Seattle’s roster.
Wilson said the Mariners have not used this exact approach before, which means the club will have to keep adjusting as it sees how the plan works in real time. For now, the immediate test is Tuesday against the White Sox, when Seattle will learn whether Castillo or Miller takes the ball first — and whether the experiment buys the bullpen the rest the club is hoping for.
