Mariners Game #5 Preview and Discussion: NYY at SEA, 3/30
Where there's a Weathers, there's a way
May 14, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio RodrÌguez (44) catches a fly ball for an out on New York Yankees center fielder Trent Grisham (not pictured) during the first inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: John Froschauer-Imagn Images | John Froschauer-Imagn Images The Mariners draw a tough opponent in their quest for their first series win of 2026. The Yankees of New York, New York look every bit the force of nature they’ve been the past few years, with Aaron Judge already climbing the home run leaderboard.
In their attempt to win game one, Seattle will hand the ball to Luis Castillo for his first start of the season. It’s a compelling first opponent for Castillo, who’s pitched some gems against the Yanks, most notably his home debut after being traded to Seattle in 2022, when he pitched eight shutout innings. His counterpart will be Ryan Weathers, who was picked directly after Jarred Kelenic in the 2018 Draft.
He’s looked the part of a fifth/sixth starter when he’s been healthy, though his CSW% (called strikes plus whiffs divided by total pitches) has always run ahead of his strikeout rate, even though those stats are generally tightly correlated. Maybe there’s still more in there. FanGraphs has a write-up of his new pitch this week.
Lineups! Facing the lefty Weathers, the Mariners will turn back to their righty platoon bats, with Rob Refsnyder and Víctor Robles getting starts at DH and right field. Cal will get his first off day, which makes sense to do today, since it means Garver will face a lefty and Cal will face the top of the Yankees’ rotation over the next couple days.