Mariners' Luis Castillo is the key to making a break in tight-knit AL West
Seattle has not had the same luck as last season, but one player can make the difference.
Mariners' Luis Castillo is the key to making a break in tight-knit AL West originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . The Seattle Mariners are in a very tight AL West race, but each team is hovering either at, or below .
500. At 18-20, they sit just behind the Texas Rangers by a single game for the lead in the division. There have been plenty of players on the Mariners that have not really contributed much this season, hence the much worse record than a season ago.
Cal Raleigh is amongst the top of that list, but it is actually a pitcher that needs to step up if this team is going to try and make it back to the postseason. Luis Castillo, who Bradford Doolittle of ESPN named as being the one Mariner that needs to change, has not had a great start to the season. The 33-year-old right-hander has an 0-3 record in seven starts, with a bloated ERA of 6.
29. It has been a stark difference from his 11-8 effort last season, and the Mariners are feeling it. According to Baseball Savant , Castillo is hanging around the bottom of Major League Baseball in a few key stats.