Mariners vs. A's prediction: Luis Castillo's the pick Tuesday
Luis Castillo’s AL Cy Young case is ripe for more padding with a Tuesday date against a hodgepodge of nothingness Oakland Athletics lineup.
Castillo is springboarding off of two masterful starts — securing back-to-back wins while recording eight strikeouts in both outings and allowing two total earned runs.
Since hitting a June rough patch where he endured four consecutive losses, Castillo is 8-1 with his last loss on July 14 in a one-run decision to Detroit.
Castillo’s last four starts have concluded in one-run deficits, but floodgates should open with a Seattle Mariners offense that ranks sixth in wRC+ facing the 25th-ranked A’s.
The last and only other time the right-hander faced Oakland this season, he struck out eight hitters and allowed zero earned runs in an 11-2 routing.
The Mariners are 9-1 against the A’s, having outscored them by 30 runs.
This A’s lineup has struggled gravely against right-handed pitching in the Coliseum as it’s hitting .209. With that said, Castillo’s modest top-30 percentile in xwOBA should be more than enough to limit high-quality contact off Oakland bats.
Betting on Baseball?
- See sign up bonuses from the best baseball betting sites
Castillo can buy Seattle enough opportunity to score in any game as he hasn’t pitched less than five innings in 30 starts.
On the other hand, the Athletics send out Paul Blackburn, who even with the chains of a fruitless offense anchoring him, has an xERA 0.24 higher than his ERA.
Seattle should pounce on his regression Tuesday with Castillo keeping the A’s in check.
The Mariners can’t afford late-season divisional games against the league’s worst slip away as they dance in-and-out of playoff position.
THE PLAY: Mariners runline -1.5 runs (-120, BetMGM).
