Seattle, WA
Castillo's strong start leads Seattle Mariners past Blue Jays 2-1
SEATTLE (AP) — Luis Castillo limited Toronto to two hits over a dominant 6 2/3 innings, Luke Raley had a two-run double in the third and the Seattle Mariners beat the Blue Jays 2-1 on Friday night.
Seattle Mariners 2, Toronto Blue Jays 1: Box Score
Castillo (7-9) was nearly untouchable in his 200th career start, retiring each of the first nine Blue Jays hitters, and not allowing a hit until Kevin Kiermaier hit a solo home run with one out in the sixth.
Castillo’s only blemish before Kiermaier’s homer was a leadoff walk to Toronto first baseman Spencer Horwitz in the fourth inning.
After Kiermaier made it one-run game with a 379-foot shot to right field, Horwitz quickly hit a single back up the middle for Toronto’s final hit of the night. But Castillo escaped trouble, with Bo Bichette hitting into an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play.
Castillo departed to a standing ovation after walking Daulton Varsho in the seventh, having allowed one run on two hits, with eight strikeouts.
A big reason for Castillo’s success was a new grip for his slider, which made his already tough pitch come in a few miles per hour slower than usual and threw Toronto’s hitters off-balance.
“It helps a lot, the fastball coming in around 96, 97, and that changeup coming in around 85,” Castillo said. “But then this new slider that I’ve got coming in even slower, it gives me three different varieties of speed to play with. It just keeps them on their toes.”
Austin Voth and Ryne Stanek combined for 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief, and Andrés Muñoz pitched the ninth for his 14th save.
“These guys pitch,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “They’re up there with the best arms in the league. There weren’t many opportunities.”
The Mariners struck first when Raley clubbed the double off Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman (6-8) in the third.
Cal Raleigh drew a two-out walk, and Julio Rodríguez reached base on an infield single. Rodríguez was originally called out on a throw from third baseman Ernie Clement, but the call was overturned on replay.
Manager Scott Servais credited replay coordinator Andy Bissell for seeing that Horwitz had come off the bag, which put Rodríguez aboard and kick-started the rally.
“It turned out to be a huge call in the game tonight,” Servais said. “Hats off to (Bissell). That is a tough job. It happens super fast and he’s on top of it and helped us win a game tonight,”
One batter later, Raley hit a fastball to the left-center field gap to put the Mariners up 2-0.
“It’s important for us to start getting some guys in and scoring some runs for our pitchers,” Raley said. “Even two runs, we still need to keep putting up more runs, but it’s nice the last two days to see us break through and get a couple of those big hits.”
Gausman finished with two earned runs allowed on six hits over six innings, with 10 strikeouts.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Blue Jays: SS Bo Bichette was back in the lineup Friday after being scratched Thursday with a right forearm contusion … RHP Yimi Garcia (elbow) will make a rehab start on Saturday after Triple-A Buffalo.
Mariners: RHP Bryan Woo (hamstring) will make a rehab start in Single-A Everett on Saturday, while RHP Gregory Santos will make an Everett rehab appearance in relief.
ROSTER MOVE
Toronto recalled RHP Ryan Burr from Triple-A Buffalo, and optioned RHP Jose Cuas.
UP NEXT
Blue Jays RHP Yariel Rodríguez (0-3, 4.63 ERA) will start Saturday against RHP Emerson Hancock (3-3, 4.79 ERA).
More on the Seattle Mariners
• Why Seattle Mariners could go new route with first-round draft pick
• ‘Classic slump’: MLB insider diagnoses what’s wrong with Julio’s swing
• How much will Gregory Santos’ arrival to bullpen help the Mariners?
• Mariners president of business operations Catie Griggs resigns
• Seattle Mariners Roster Notes: OF added on waivers; Woo, Speier updates
Seattle, WA
Need to shred? Free drive-up/ride-up shredding Wednesday at Village Green West Seattle
With the tax deadline just past, you might have old paper documents you’re ready to shred and recycle. Just announced – a chance to do that for free this Wednesday (April 22), 1-4 pm!
Got sensitive documents piling up at home? We’ve got you covered! Join us for a FREE community shredding event with Liberty Shredding at Village Green West Seattle!
Secure, on‑site shredding
FREE (up to 3 boxes per person)
Just drive up and shred with confidence! Hearthside Driveway (building two)
Village Green West Seattle (WSB sponsor) is at 2615 SW Barton.
Seattle, WA
WEST SEATTLE WEATHER: Warm day, but far below record
Thanks to Carrie Brown for the westward view of our Saturday night sunset. The high today hit 68 at the airport – eight degrees above normal – but nowhere near the record for this date, which was 89 degrees back in 2016. The forecast suggests two more days of partly sunny, almost-70-degree weather, before the chance of rain returns.
Seattle, WA
Mets place former Seattle Mariners 2B/DH Jorge Polanco on IL
CHICAGO (AP) — The struggling New York Mets placed former Seattle Mariners second baseman/designated hitter Jorge Polanco on the 10-day injured list on Saturday with a right wrist contusion.
Mariners Injury Update: Latest on Robles, Vargas and more
The move was made retroactive to Wednesday, a day after Polanco went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts in a 2-1 loss at the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 32-year-old Polanco is batting .179 (10 for 56) with a homer and two RBIs in his first season with New York, which has lost nine straight.
“When doctors first took a look at him, it looked like he got hit by a pitch when he didn’t,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “In talking to him, it was just a couple of swings that he took that night. … He didn’t think much of it, but just got worse the following day.
“So you just got to let it calm down a little bit and then we’ll go from there. But we don’t have a timetable for how long this is going to last.”
Polanco, who signed a two-year, $40 million contract with the Mets in December, also has been dealing with an ankle issue.
“He was trending in the right direction,” Mendoza said of the ankle injury. “It’s definitely going to help, obviously now with him being shut down. But the biggest thing now is that we’ve got to take care of that wrist.”
Polanco spent the previous two seasons with the Mariners, who acquired him in a February 2024 trade with the Minnesota Twins.
Polanco struggled during his first season with Seattle in 2024, hitting just .213 with 16 homers in 118 games while playing through a knee injury that didn’t become public knowledge until after the season.
But after the Mariners somewhat surprisingly brought him back for a one-year contract in 2025, Polanco rebounded to hit .265 with 26 homers and an .821 OPS in 138 games last season. He then added three homers during Seattle’s playoff run, along with a 15th-inning walkoff single in Game 5 of the American League Division Series that sent the Mariners to their first ALCS in 24 years.
Seattle Sports staff made additions to this post.
Mariners RHP Bryce Miller to begin rehab assignment
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