Luis Castillo takes the mound for the Mariners for the second time this season, completing the second spin of the rotation of this season. Despite not earning the decision last time out, Castillo shoved against the Yankees for 6 innings of three-hit ball and tallied 5 strikeouts along with it. Castillo looks to continue his solid start to the season today against the Angels.
The hope today is that the Mariners can use this series and game to stabilize and gain some consistency, in particular from the offense, which, despite their best efforts last night, was held to a shutout by Jo Adell and his three-homerun robberies.
So far, the Mariners have had mixed results to start the season, dropping two out of 4 to the Guardians, including Opening Day, and then dropping two out of three to the Yankees, including a shutout loss. The Mariners have been shut out in two of their past four games. I wouldn’t say I’m worried, but I am anxious for the team to get on track and find a groove early in the season.
J.P. Crawford is back in the lineup full-time now after starting the season on the injured list and looks to keep the momentum going after recording his first hit and walk of the season last night. Also, he should have had his first home run, but we all know how that went. Cal Raleigh will DH today, with Mitch Garver behind the plate. Garver frequently takes up catching duties on a day game following a night game, and today is no exception. Brendan Donovan will be sitting for the second night in a row after leaving the game on Friday in the 7th inning. The team does not expect Donovan to spend any time on the IL and is currently managing Donovan’s groin strain on a day-to-day basis. In the meantime, Leo Rivas will continue to man third, but the Mariners will be short-handed should anything happen over the next few days.
No shiny lineup graphic from the Angels today, perhaps distracted by the callup of their latest rookie:
The Angels will be handing the ball over to George Klassen this afternoon. Klassen will be making his major league debut today. Klassen impressed in spring training and is regarded as one of the Angels’ top prospects. Klassen sports a deadly cocktail of fastball, slider, and cutter that grade out at 55, 60, and 60, respectively. The 24-year-old spent much of this spring working and refining with Greg Maddux and could be in the mix for a permanent spot in the rotation this year. Read more on Klassen from John in the AL West preview here.
Today in Mariners History