Mariners have already committed to starting off huge series vs. A's on the wrong foot

Hypothetically, the Seattle Mariners could be in first place in the AL West as soon as Wednesday afternoon. They only need to sweep three games from the Athletics to wipe out a 2.5-game deficit. How hard could it be?

This is, of course, a cursed question. Literally everything has been hard for the 2026 Mariners, up to and especially including winning games in bunches. It's right there in their 25-29 record. It's also right there in how they haven't won three straight games in a month.

Oh, and they're going to start Luis Castillo in Monday's opener in Sacramento. He and Bryce Miller will still be piggybacking, but in the reverse order that they did last Wednesday. Not because it's the right choice, but because Dan Wilson sees it as the "most equitable way to do it."

Yeah, never mind the fact that Castillo had a 7.34 ERA in eight starts before the Mariners shifted him to the bullpen. For that matter, never mind the fact that he's just plain cooked as a viable MLB starter. Apparently, all that matters is that he's a 33-year-old veteran and three-time All-Star who is still in the organization's good graces.

One would wonder how Miller feels about this, if only it wasn't such a wild guess that he's not crazy about it. He wasn't thrilled about how things ended after the Mariners' first piggyback experiment. And according to FanGraphs' Pitching+ metric, his first two starts off the injured list have featured betting pitching than Jacob Misiorowski, Jacob deGrom, Chris Sale and Tarik Skubal.

Baffling decisions have been a frequent theme of Mariners' 2026 season

Of the many reasons the Mariners are still languishing under .500 after 54 games, there are many they that they neither asked for nor deserve.

Cal Raleigh suddenly going all Chris Davis before he landed on the IL wasn't on anyone's 2025 Bingo card. Neither were injuries to Brendan Donovan, Matt Brash or Gabe Speier, much less Miller after just one start in spring training. Otherwise, neither the offense nor the rotation — both of which were meant to be a step above the competition — has gone on a sustained run of excellence.

And yet, the fact that the Mariners have +6 run differential and a 28-26 Pythagorean record only reinforces the suspicion that managerial shenanigans are playing a role as well.

The decision to start Castillo on Monday is merely the latest variation on a theme. It follows the disastrous call not to lift him in favor of Andrés Muñoz in last Wednesday's devastating loss. It's also adjacent to frequently weird lineups and pinch-hitters, most of which have involved Rob Refsnyder. And frankly, J.P. Crawford should not have had to volunteer to move to third base to accommodate Colt Emerson at shortstop.

None of this reflects well on Wilson, obviously. But since he answers to president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto, they're both complicit in the bad vibe that has taken over the season. It is one of a team that was meant to be a serious World Series contender becoming blatantly unserious.

Game times and probable pitchers for Mariners vs. A's, May 25-27

• Monday, May 25 at 6:40 p.m. PT: Luis Castillo vs. Aaron Civale
• Tuesday, May 26 at 6:40 p.m. PT: Emerson Hancock vs. Luis Severino
• Wednesday, May 27 at 12:05 p.m. PT: Logan Gilbert vs. Jeffrey Springs

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow