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La Piedra is unstoppable
I'll say this again for anyone that missed it earlier, Luis Castillo is the best starting pitcher Seattle has had since Felix Hernandez. On Sunday, Castillo had perfect game level stuff going. 7 dominant innings giving up only 2 hits while striking out 9 on just 91 pitches. Castillo was perfect through 6 innings and may have matched Felix's magical perfecto if not for two of the weakest hits you'll see in baseball all year.
Castillo is now 2-0 with a 0.73 ERA. Luis has struck out 26 hitters in 24.2 innings pitched while walking just 4. His stuff looks better than ever, combined with elite control, and ultimate confidence, Luis Castillo is a walking Deathly Hallow right now.
In what is already looking like one of the greatest trades in franchise history, Castillo is not just pitching like an ace, but he looks like the best pitcher in baseball so far. I can only imagine the roar he'd receive from T-Mobile if he got the nod to start the all-star game.
Keep it up La Piedra!
On Deck
We've been talking about it on the SEAside Thoughts for a couple of weeks, but the schedule will get right back to being tough after the nice Colorado reprieve.
Corbin Burnes, Jesse Winker and the 11-5 Milwaukee Brewers come to town for what should be a fun and intense series. Both teams are thinking about the Fall Classic and hoping to continue their hot play. Burnes, a former Cy Young winner who's not in the best of situations with his current club, will get the ball game 1.
I'm fascinated to see how the crowd and players treat Winker. A lot was made about the highs and many lows of his 1 season in Seattle, and while he seems to acknowledge his mistakes and is ready to move on, are the fans? While we'll always have him kicking Anthony Rendon's ass and eating pizza in Anaheim, Winker was a terrible player last year and apparently a clubhouse cancer. I fully expect him to dominate this series by the way…
After the Brew Crew leave, the St. Louis Cardinals and their fans will storm through T-Mobile Park. The Cardinals are loaded with talent, but have underachieved so far in 2023, going 7-9. Expect Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt to be desperate to get the machine rolling.
A big sweep and a big week ahead during this 9 game homestand. Can't wait to see what's in store.
Go M's!