Luis Castillo takes the mound for the M’s tonight, still chasing his first victory of 2026 in what will be his fifth start. With an elevated 5.40 ERA this season, fortune hasn’t favored “La Piedra” thus far, although his 3.30 FIP hints at some underlying bad luck.
In his last outing in San Diego, Castillo permitted considerable hard contact en route to one earned run over 5.1 innings — a statistic somewhat misleading. He actually surrendered four total runs, all occurring in a disastrous second inning where an error on a throw to Josh Naylor at first perhaps should have been fielded, rendering three of those runs unearned. While the Mariners’ infield defense hasn’t exactly been a highlight reel recently, Castillo’s own performance wasn’t particularly sharp either. He’ll aim for a strong rebound in the familiar setting of T-Mobile Park.
The Athletics will send Jacob Lopez (1-1, 6.38 ERA) to the mound, also making his fifth start of the campaign. For a more detailed analysis of the pitching matchup, Jake Mailhot’s series preview is available.
In other news this afternoon, the Mariners designated RHP Casey Legumina for assignment following his losing decision last night. As a corresponding roster adjustment, RHP Alex Hoppe was recalled from Triple-A Tacoma and will join the Mariners bullpen, with his first appearance marking his major league debut. John Trupin covered this roster transaction here.
The Mariners are deploying their right-handed platoon to face the left-handed Lopez. Cal Raleigh will serve as the designated hitter, while Mitch Garver handles catching duties. With Rob Refsnyder batting leadoff, J.P. Crawford moves down to sixth in the lineup.
Game Start: 6:40 p.m. PDT
Television Broadcast: Mariners.TV, featuring Aaron Goldsmith, Ryon Healy, and Ryan Rowland-Smith
Radio Broadcast: 710 AM Seattle Sports, with Rick Rizzs and Gary Hill Jr.