Seattle Mariners Announce Very Interesting Move Ahead of Sunday Series Finale

Ahead of Sunday's series finale against the Minnesota Twins, the Seattle Mariners have announced a very interesting - and surprising - move.

Seattle Mariners pitcher Luis Castillo (58) looks on at the end of the third inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on June 25. / Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

In a surprising move, the Seattle Mariners have announced that starting pitcher Luis Castillo will get the ball in Sunday's series finale against the Minnesota Twins at T-Mobile Park.

Daniel Kramer of MLB.com had the information on "X:"

Luis Castillo will start tomorrow’s series finale against the Twins, Scott Servais just said.

— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) June 29, 2024

Castillo is moving up in the rotation to take the spot of the injured Bryan Woo, who would have been due to pitch. He's been placed on the injured list with a strained hamstring and has no immediate timetable for his return.

This move is surprising for a few different reasons, so let's break it down:

1) The team already created a roster spot for Jhonathan Diaz. Diaz seemed to clearly be the person set to take Woo's spot in the rotation, so why waste a roster spot on him if he's not going to pitch? The M's could have kept another reliever for this weekend series if Diaz wasn't going to be used. Will Diaz start the game on Tuesday (after the off-day), or will he be used in relief on Sunday if necessary? Given that the M's have another off day on Monday, will they skip Woo's spot in the rotation entirely?

2) Castillo hasn't pitched that well lately. Castillo got roughed by both Cleveland and Tampa Bay in his last two starts, so moving him up a few days is certainly questionable. Castillo is pitching on a full four days rest, so it's not an absurd timetable, but the veteran looks like he could use more rest - not less. He is much better at home though (2.96 ERA), so perhaps the M's think he can channel that success

3) Maybe the reason this move was made is because of the Twins' lineup. Minnesota features a very right-handed lineup with Byron Buxton, Royce Lewis, Jose MIranda, Carlos Correa and Ryan Jeffers. Perhaps Servais felt that the righty would be a better matchup than Diaz.

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