The Mariners got razed Monday in a 10-2 loss in Tampa.
Luis Castillo went just four innings and allowed five runs on five hits, including a three-run homer. It wasn’t his worst outing of late — he still struck out five and picked up 11 whiffs — but he gave up a 66.6% hard hit rate and could not fool Rays’ batters.
Castillo got through the first five batters of the game rather quickly. With two outs in the second, however, he gave up a weak single and a four-pitch walk. Then Nick Fortes turned around
a fastball at the top of the zone and dropped it just over the wall in right-center field. The three-run homer went just 365 feet and was shallow enough that the umpires reviewed it for fan interference (it was a clear homer on review). Baseball Savant estimated the ball would not have been a homer anywhere else; George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa is one of the shallowest parks in MLB, with dimensions similar to Yankee Stadium.
In the third, Castillo allowed three straight hits to make it 5-0. He ultimately got through four innings on 78 pitches before Dan Wilson turned to the bullpen. Castillo finished with a 94.7 mph average velocity on his four-seamer, which was the hardest he’s thrown in a game since July 28. While Stuff+ numbers aren’t yet available for Monday, the plot below shows how much his pitch quality has dropped of late. In his last seven starts, Castillo posted an average Stuff+ of 71 and an average FIP of 5.08; he averaged a Stuff+ of 99 and 3.76 FIP before the skid.
Emerson Hancock came on in the seventh to make his first career appearance as a reliever; the Mariners converted him to a reliever after 15 mostly unsuccessful starts this year (and 30 mostly unsuccessful starts since he debuted in 2023). Hancock averaged 97.6 mph on his four-seamer, 97.2 mph on his sinker and 88.5 mph on his changeup — each up more than 2 mph over his average in 2025 as a starter. He did not throw his slider or sweeper.
Hancock picked up two strikeouts on four whiffs, but the Rays otherwise scorched the ball and scored three more times. Two of the runs were unearned, as the inning began with an error from J.P. Crawford. Hancock exited with the Mariners behind 8-0.
The Rays made it an even 10-0 in the bottom of the eighth after Taylor Saucedo gave up a two-run homer to Tristan Gray. Mariners’ pitchers allowed 10 runs on 13 hits, six extra base hits, 13 hard hit balls, three barrels, and a .350 xBA. It was one of their worst performances of the year by a variety of metrics.
It didn’t quite matter how they pitched, however, as the Mariners struggled offensively.
Things started quite promising. Randy Arozarena received a standing ovation in his first game back in Tampa and immediately ripped a hard grounder through the infield for a single. Then he stole second base to get into scoring position. But he was picked off trying to steal third, which became the theme of the day for the Mariners’ lineup. They managed exactly one base runner in seven innings on Monday, picking up 10 hits and two walks. But those runners were mostly left stranded or erased on double plays.
Their best opportunity came in the sixth, when Arozarena and Cal Raleigh lead off with a pair of singles. But the middle of the order went down consecutively (and unspectacularly) behind them, and the Mariners were held scoreless.
Their only runs came in the ninth inning, already down 10-0. Eugenio Suárez roped his second double of the day, and Leo Rivas followed with his first career home run. The game would end shortly thereafter with a final score of 10-2.
Rivas was called up Monday afternoon in a flurry of moves following the September roster expansion. Headlining the call ups was top prospect Harry Ford, who did not play on Monday.
The Mariners fell to three back of the Astros in the AL West.
