PITTSBURGH PIRATES NOTES:
THE PIRATES: Opened their six-game road trip with an 11-6 win Friday night at T-Mobile Park…Have gone 4-4 in their last eight games…Won seven straight games from 4/17-23, their longest winning streak since 2018 (11 games)…Are 0.5 game behind the front-running Brewers in the National League Central coming into today…Have the fifth-best record (26-24) among National League teams coming into today.
ROSTER MOVE: The Pittsburgh Pirates today ended the rehab assignment of right-handed pitcher Vince Velasquez and reinstated him from the 15-day injured list (right elbow inflammation)…Right-handed pitcher Duane Underwood Jr. has been designated for assignment to make room for Velasquez on the 26-man active roster.
I AM VINCE-IBLE: Today will be Vince Velasquez’ first start since leaving his outing on May 4 at Tampa Bay…Beginning with his start on April 13 at St. Louis, Velasquez has gone 4-1 with a 1.29 ERA (28.0ip/4er)….Velasquez comes into today with the seventh-lowest road ERA (2.45) in MLB, which ranks third in the National League behind Arizona’s Merrill Kelly (1.63) and Washington’s Josiah Gray (2.21).
WINNING STARTS HERE: Pittsburgh’s starting rotation ranks first in the National League and third in all of MLB with 21 wins…The only two starting rotations in MLB to produce more wins are the Rays and Rangers with 24 apiece…The Pirates have now matched their win total from their starters from all of 2022.
HOMER HAPPY: Pittsburgh’s seven home runs last night tied a club record, which has now been accomplished four times… In addition to last night, the Pirates also went deep seven times in a game on June 6, 1894, at Boston, August 16, 1947, vs. St. Louis and August 20, 2003, at St. Louis.
EXTRA EXTRA: The Pirates recorded 10 extra base hits in last night’s series opener against the Mariners…It was the team’s first game with 10 extra base hits since July 1, 2019, against the Cubs at PNC Park and the most for the team on the road since collecting 11 on August 24, 2002, at Milwaukee.
CUTCH’S MILESTONES: Andrew McCutchen is two doubles shy of 400 in his career and two away from 300 as a Pirate…McCutchen ranks seventh all-time in team history in doubles…Paul Waner ranks first with 559, followed by Honus Wagner (556), Roberto Clemente (440), Willie Stargell (423), Max Carey (375) and Pie Traynor (371).
LEADING THINGS OFF: Andrew McCutchen’s leadoff home run last night was the 21st of his career and first as a member of the Pirates since April 30, 2011, off Colorado’s Jason Hammel…McCutchen now has nine career leadoff home runs with the Pirates… The only Pirates to hit more leadoff home runs are Barry Bonds (20), Al Martin (10) and Adam Frazier (10).
SHORT HOPS: Tucupita Marcano homered for the second time in three games Friday night and is now hitting .321 (9-for-28) with three doubles, two homers and seven RBI in his last 10 games…Pittsburgh’s shortstops rank ninth in MLB and sixth among National League teams with a .748 OPS.
JACK’S JACKS: Jack Suwinski comes into today tied for the fourth-most home runs (eight) among center fielders in the game along with Julio Rodriguez and Cedric Mullins…Suwinski also ranks third among all center fielders in the National League with a .486 slugging percentage, trailing only TJ Friedl (.547) and Cody Bellinger (.493).
COMING THROUGH IN THE CLUTCH: Bryan Reynolds went 2-for-2 with runners in scoring position Friday night and is now hitting .400 (14-for-35) in that department this season…Reynolds’ .400 average with runners in scoring position ranks seventh in the National League…Pittsburgh ranks sixth in all of MLB with a .277 average with runners in scoring position… Pittsburgh finished 2022 last in MLB after hitting .220 with RISP.
ON THE ROAD: Pittsburgh has won two straight, three of its last four and are 14-11 overall this season on the road…The only two National League teams with a better road record are the Braves (17-7) and Diamondbacks (15-11)…The Pirates also have the second-lowest road ERA (3.20) in MLB, trailing only the Braves (2.93).
DIALING LONG DISTANCE AT T-MOBILE PARK: Carlos Santana has hit 10 home runs at T-Mobile Park since the beginning of last season…That’s tied for the fourth-most along with Cal Raleigh…The only three players with more are Julio Rodriguez (20), Eugenio Suarez (17) and Ty France (15).
STARTING PITCHER – 27 – RHP VINCE VELASQUEZ
VINCE VELASQUEZ: The 30-year-old righthander is making his eighth start of the season this afternoon…He was reinstated from the 15-day injured list earlier today.
vs. SEATTLE:0-0 with a 2.84 ERA (12.2ip/4er) in four career appearances (two starts)…Worked a scoreless inning of relief at Seattle last year on 9/7…He also started and allowed one run in 4.0 innings in a no-decision on 4/12/22 in a 3-2 White Sox win.
SEATTLE MARINERS NOTES:
TODAY’S TILT…the Mariners continue a 10-game homestand (4-1) with the second of 3 games against the Pittsburgh Pirates (0-1)…Seattle opened the homestand with a 4-game series sweep of the Oakland Athletics (4-0) and will also host the New York Yankees (3 G, May 29-31) following the current series vs. Pittsburgh…tonight’s game will be televised live on ROOT SPORTS with Aaron Goldsmith and Ryan Rowland-Smith on the call…the game will also be broadcast live on Seattle Sports (710 AM) and Mariners.com with Rick Rizzs and Gary Hill Jr.
ODDS AND ENDS…the Mariners dropped the series opener to the Pirates 11-6…despite the loss, the Mariners are 5-2 over their last 7 games…Seattle is 19-9 when scoring at least 4 runs and 7-16 when scoring 3-or-fewer.
- May it Continue – The Mariners are 14-9 (.609) in May, tied for the 5th-best winning percentage in the AL this month (also: Baltimore), trailing Texas (15-7, .682), Houston (14-8, .636), Tampa Bay (15-9, .625) and New York-AL (15-9, .625).
- WARiors – Logan Gilbert (8th, 1.9), Luis Castillo (T12th, 1.6), George Kirby (T17th, 1.4) and Bryce Miller (T17th, 1.4) all rank in the top 20 of MLB pitchers this season in Fangraphs WAR…the Mariners are the only team in the Majors to have more than 2 pitchers rank among the top 20 in fWAR this season.
- Coast Guard – Eugenio Suárez has hit 24 home runs against the Pirates which ranks 3rd among active players, trailing only Anthony Rizzo (30) and Joey Votto (29).
- Bounce Back – The Mariners are 12-12 following a loss this season.
NOW SHOWING: THE J-ROD SHOW…Julio Rodríguez went 2-for-4 with 1 home run and 3 RBI in last night’s game…he has hit safely in 5 consecutive games dating back to May 22, including 4 multi-hit games during that span, batting .476 (10×21) with 4 runs scored, 3 doubles, 1 HR, 5 RBI and 1 hit-by-pitch while reaching base at a .500 clip and slugging .762 with a 1.262 OPS…dating back to the beginning of the 2022 season, Julio has recorded 54 multi-hit games, tied for the most among Mariners hitters during that span with Ty France
J.P.: JUST PUMMELING BASEBALLS…J.P. Crawford went 2-for-5 with 2 runs, 1 home run and 2 RBI in last night’s game…over his last 8 games dating back to May 19, Crawford is batting .294 (10×34) with 4 runs scored, 1 double, 2 home runs and 6 RBI while getting on base at a .333 clip and slugging .529 (.862 OPS)…overall this season, Crawford is batting .248 (41×165) with 26 runs, 10 doubles, 3 home runs and 22 RBI with a .361 on base percentage and a .725 OPS…Crawford ranks 7th in the AL in walk rate (14.7%) and has raised his hard-hit rate to a career high 40.3% this season.
CAN YOU SMELL WHAT LA PIEDRA IS COOKING?…today’s Mariners starter Luis Castillo has been one of the best pitchers in the AL this season, ranking among the AL leaders in ERA (9th, 2.97), strikeouts (T10th, 66), WHIP (T10th, 1.04), batting average against (10th, .216/47×218), BB/9 (11th, 2.03) and K/9 (T9th, 10.30) among qualified pitchers…in 7 starts at T-Mobile Park this season, Castillo is 3-1 with a 2.16 ERA (10 ER, 41.2 IP), 51 strikeouts and 7 walks.
RALEIGH GOOD BACKSTOP…Cal Raleigh went 2-for-3 with 2 doubles, 1 walk and 1 run scored in yesterday’s game…over his last 10 games (5/14-c), Cal is batting .333 (12×36) with 8 runs, 4 doubles, 2 home runs, 6 RBI and 5 walks, while sporting a .415 on base percentage and slugging .611, good for a 1.026 OPS…among AL catchers this season, he ranks among the leaders in Fangraphs WAR (3rd, 1.4), wRC+ (4th, 118), home runs (T3rd, 7) and OPS (5th, .773).
FRANCE IS NICE THIS TIME OF YEAR…Ty France is batting .278 (25×90), with 13 runs, 4 doubles, 4 home runs, 8 RBI, 5 walks and 3 hit by pitch during the month of May, getting on base at a .347 clip and slugging .456 (.803 OPS)…Ty has reached base safely in 20 of 22 games during the month, including 17 games with at least 1 hit and 7 multi-hit games…France has 9 hit by pitch this season, tied for 2nd-most in the Majors (also: Andrés Giménez-CLE), trailing only Esteury Ruiz-OAK (11)…Ty’s 59 hit by pitch with the Mariners ranks 4th in franchise history, 1 shy of Dave Valle, and 30 shy of franchise leader Edgar Martinez’s 89.
JARRED IS SHINING ON THE DIAMOND…Jarred Kelenic has been one of the top outfielders in the American League this season…overall, Kelenic is batting .278 (50×180) with 25 runs, 12 doubles, 1 triple, 10 home runs, 25 RBI, 6 stolen bases and 14 walks in 49 games, while getting on base at a .332 clip, slugging .522 with an .854 OPS…he has tallied 1.3 fWAR, and 1.6 Baseball Reference WAR…the 23-yearold outfielder leads the Mariners in total bases (94), extra-base hits (23), hits, home runs, batting average, slugging percentage and OPS…among qualified AL outfielders, his 138 wRC+ ranks 6th, trailing Aaron Judge-NYY (176), Yordan Alvarez-HOU (174), Randy Arozarena-TB (170), Brent Rooker-OAK (151) and Mike Trout-LAA (146).
GLOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD…the Mariners defense is the best in the American League by Outs Above Average (11) this season, and tied for 3rd in the Majors, trailing only San Diego (17) and Milwaukee (12)… they have had the 3rd best outfield (4 OAA) and are tied for the 8th-best infield defense (6 OAA)…Eugenio Suárez is the top-rated third baseman in the AL by OAA (6) and is tied for 2nd among all positions…Julio Rodríguez is tied for 4th among center fielders with 4 OAA…Seattle’s .991 team fielding percentage is tied for the MLB lead with Tampa Bay, San Diego and New York-NL (.991).
YO-HO-YO-HO…the Mariners welcome the Pirates to T-Mobile Park for only the 4th all-time series in Seattle between the clubs: June 19-21, 2007 (3 G), June 25-26, 2013 (2 G) and June 28-29, 2016 (2 G)… Seattle and Pittsburgh have met for 7 series overall, with the first ever series taking place from June 18-20, 2004 in Pittsburgh…the Mariners are 3-4 against the Pirates all-time at T-Mobile Park and 11-6 overall… Seattle swept the Pirates in a 3-game series in Pittsburgh in the last series between the clubs from Sept. 17-19, 2019.
HOME SWEET HOMESTAND…the Mariners continue a 10-game homestand (4-1) tonight with J.P. Crawford POP! Collectible Night…the homestand continues with Little League Day on Sunday, May 28, before the Mariners wrap up the homestand with 3 games against the New York Yankees from May 29-31…tickets for all upcoming games can be found at Mariners.com/Tickets.
MARINERS STARTER – RHP LUIS CASTILLO
2023 MLB Breakdown:
W-L ERA G/GS IP H R ER BB SO HR
Overall 3-2 2.97 10/10 57.2 47 21 19 13 66 6
Home 3-1 2.16 7/7 41.2 29 10 10 7 51 2
Road 0-1 5.06 3/3 16.0 18 11 9 6 15 4
vs. PIT 0-0 0.00 0/0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career MLB Breakdown:
W-L ERA G/GS IP H R ER BB SO HR
Overall 51-57 3.55158/158915.1 769399 361 3171003 104
Home 30-27 3.02 82/82 497.2 383188 167 149 574 52
Road 21-30 4.18 76/76 417.2 386211 194 168 429 52
vs. PIT 5-4 2.51 13/13 75.1 60 23 21 24 73 5
ABOUT CASTILLO…
- The 30-year-old right-hander is set to make his 11th start of the season, 1st against the Pirates…he is also making his 159th Major League start and 14th career start against Pittsburgh.
- Has been named an All-Star in 2019 and 2022.
- Originally signed as an international free agent by the San Francisco Giants on 12/23/11.
- Made MLB debut on 6/23/17 vs. Washington (w/ Cincinnati)
- Signed a 5-year contract extension with the Seattle Mariners on Sept. 24, 2022 after being acquired in a trade with Cincinnati on July 30, 2022.
LAST TIME OUT…W#3 in last start on 5/22 vs. Oakland…allowed 4 hits and 2 walks in 6.0 innings pitched while striking out 8.
1,000 AND COUNTING…recorded his 1,000th career strikeout in his last outing against Oakland after striking out Shea Langeliers to begin the 5th inning…Castillo finished the night with 8 strikeouts, 1 away from his season high.
FEELING RIGHT AT HOME…is set to make his 13th start at T-Mobile Park where he has a 5-1 record with a 1.84 ERA (15 ER, 73.1 IP) and has only given up 4 home runs and 13 walks while striking out 93 batters…Castillo’s 1.84 ERA is the lowest in franchise history among pitchers with at least 12 starts at T-Mobile Park ranking ahead of Chris Young (2.40).
STILL ROLLING…has only allowed 13 walks while striking out 66 batters in 10 starts this season…his 13 walks are tied for the 8th fewest in the American League with Cristian Javier-HOU…his 66 strikeouts on the season ranks tied 10th in the American League with Nathan Eovaldi-TEX and Sonny Gray-MIN…Castillo’s 5.08 strikeout-to-walk ratio ranks 8th in the American League behind Zach Greinke-KCR (5.13).
OFF TO A GOOD START…his 135 strikeouts through his first 20 Mariners starts are the 2nd most in Mariners history through a pitchers first 20 starts…he trails only Robbie Ray (136) and ranks ahead of Félix Hernández (124) and Michael Pineda (123).
MAKING THEM EARN IT…has only allowed 19 earned runs through 10 starts this season which is tied 6th in the American League…his 2.97 ERA (19 ER, 57.2 IP) ranks 8th in the American League behind Nathan Eovaldi-TEX (2.60).
KEEPING THE BASES CLEAN…has only allowed 62 runners to reach base safely through 10 starts this season which is tied for the 5th fewest in the American League with Shohei Ohtani-LAA…he also ranks among American League leaders in opponents average (T-9th, .216/47×218) and WHIP (8th, 1.040).
DOMINATE THE ZONE…had 38 strikeouts in 6 starts in March/April which is the second most strikeouts to start a season in his career…his career-high in strikeouts for March/April is 50 which he achieved in 7 games to start the 2019 season.
KEEPING THEM IN THE YARD…gave up his first home run of the season on 4/28, breaking a 5-game span of allowing no home runs…this was his longest span of games to start a season without giving up a home run in his career.
NEARLY PERFECT…carried a perfect game into the 7th inning in his start against Colorado on 4/16…earned his second win of the season after pitching 7.0 scoreless innings and allowing only 2 hits while striking out a season-high 9 batters…the last pitcher to throw a perfect game in the Majors was Félix Hernández on 8/15/12.
HOT START…did not allow a run in either of his first 2 starts to begin the season, becoming just the third Mariners pitcher to do that, joining Félix Hernández (2007) and James Paxton (2017).
