Castillo shines, Mariners rout Mets on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball

Forty-three games remain for the Seattle Mariners this regular season, the closing weeks of MLB’s annual 162-game marathon. For most of June, all of July, and now deeper into August, the Mariners and Houston Astros have jockeyed for the American League West crown, trading places atop the division as the home stretch nears.

Neither team has pulled away – but the Mariners are certainly trying to.

Seattle just finished their most complete, most impressive series yet.

Luis Castillo went six strong innings, Cal Raleigh launched two home runs to right field, and the Mariners routed the New York Mets, 12-1, to sweep the playoff hopefuls in three games at T-Mobile Park. In a series again defined by the dominance of Seattle’s starting pitching, the trio of Bryce Miller, Logan Gilbert, and Luis Castillo surrendered one combined earned run as the Mariners ran away in the later innings each night and kept pace in a narrow division race.

It was perfect timing for ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball to return to the Emerald City for the first time since 2004.

Castillo showcased his wicked, animated four-seamer on a national, primetime stage, cruising to nine strikeouts while allowing four hits and one earned run in front of 35,460 faithful. ‘La Piedra’ stranded a pair of Mets aboard in three separate innings, routinely evading traffic and restricting New York to an 0-for-6 clip with runners in scoring position.

“(Luis) had some good front-hip sinkers, got away with some good sliders,” Raleigh said of his starter’s mid-game adjustments. “When he had to go to other pitches… he was able to do that. That’s what makes him really tough.

“When he’s able to locate that four-seam up, throw some other stuff off it, throw in a wrinkle… it’s tough for the hitters.”

How can Castillo even begin to describe this unbelievable pitching run, a week that featured 27 consecutive scoreless innings by Mariners pitchers and one run allowed over three games to the Mets?

“I know I’m the oldest in the starting rotation. … When I get out there, a lot of guys look to me me for opinions,” Castillo said through translator Freddy Llanos. “But I’m also asking for them for help. To me, we’re probably the strongest rotation (regarding) how close we are.”

Arch-rival Houston swept the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, a parallel weekend series, keeping the division knotted at the top.

Raleigh’s no-doubt homers to right field were similarly crushed, both at least 106 mph off the bat and traveling at least 400 feet.

Jorge Polanco handed the Mariners a 1-0 lead with a second-inning, solo home run onto the Patio at the ‘Pen.

Then the floodgates opened.

In the fourth, Raleigh’s first blast doubled Seattle’s lead, 2-0. His next, a three-run blast, ballooned Seattle’s lead to nine, 10-1.

In between were RBI singles by shortstop Leo Rivas and outfielder Victor Robles, the latter of which scored two runs after a throwing error by New York’s Jeff McNeil.

McNeil’s solo home run to right field in the sixth inning was New York’s only run all series.

Raleigh finished 3-for-4 with two home runs, five RBI, two runs, and a walk. Polanco and Dominic Canzone collected a pair of extra-base hits apiece.

“If (someone) makes a mistake and leaves one in Cal’s happy zone, we’re really happy,” manager Scott Servais said with a smile. “Because good things happen.”

Right-handed reliever Troy Taylor, selected from Double-Arkansas on Saturday, made his major-league debut on Sunday night and tossed a scoreless ninth inning with two strikeouts.

The Mariners were last featured on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball on July 31, 2016, against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The network hadn’t made the trek to broadcast a game in Seattle since June 6, 2004, when the Mariners walked off the Chicago White Sox, 5-4, on a Jolbert Cabrera walk.

JULIO RODRIGUEZ RETURNS TO LINEUP

Cue the lights and walk-up music: The J-Rod Show has returned.

The Mariners activated star outfielder Julio Rodriguez from the 10-day injured list ahead of Seattle’s primetime matchup with the Mets on ESPN, slated to serve as Sunday’s designated hitter.

Rodriguez missed 17 games with a high ankle sprain, suffered July 21 on a near-spectacular catch attempt when J-Rod crashed into the center-field wall and fell to the dirt.

He doesn’t yet have the green light to resume outfielding duties, but Rodriguez wanted to hit. He took batting practice in recent days and notified the team of his desire to be activated in time for Sunday Night Baseball.

“Again, our medical staff was good with it. He’s good with it. So he’s in the lineup today,” manager Scott Servais said.

What compounded frustration from Rodriguez’s injury was his blistering-hot stretch in the weeks prior. The 23-year-old went 17-for-40 (.425) with a 1.289 OPS in the 13 games before the ankle sprain, a promising indication that Rodriguez was emerging from an early-season slump.

Now, with the Mariners jostling for first place with the Houston Astros, Rodriguez couldn’t wait any longer.

Seattle still considers Rodriguez “day-to-day” and plans to assess his ankle upon conclusion of Sunday night’s game. To make room for J-Rod on the active roster, the Mariners optioned second baseman Ryan Bliss to Triple-A Tacoma.

Servais was still unable to provide a timeline on Rodriguez’s return to the outfield, where his ankle will certainly be more tested than inside the batter’s box.

Sunday’s designated hitter looked rusty at the plate: Rodriguez went 0-for-5 with five strikeouts, one more than the dreaded Golden Sombrero, in his return to action.

Servais downplayed it: “(Julio) will be just fine,” he said. “He’ll pick up the timing, and he’ll be good for us on this road trip.”

HANIGER’S MIRACULOUS WALK-OFF SALVAGES SERIES

Mitch Haniger became Seattle’s new all-time walk-off king on Thursday night, the owner of a team-record eight game-winners.

Yet rarely are walk-offs this miraculous.

Haniger was down to the game’s final strike, trailing Detroit in the series finale, 3-1. The Mariners loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the ninth as ‘Hanny’, Seattle’s final hope, dug in.

The 33-year-old took strike one and whiffed at a slider for strike two. He fouled away another breaking ball to stay alive. Haniger waited, patiently, for a fastball, as Detroit reliever Will Vest offered one — and Haniger did not miss.

A hard-hit laser into right field. Could it score two runs to tie the game? Did Haniger rifle the ball too hard, allowing for a quick throw home?

None of it mattered – Tigers right fielder Ryan Vilade dove to make the play and whiffed. The ball would roll all the way to the warning track. Three runs coasted home instead.

T-Mobile Park erupted as Luke Raley and teammates sprinted to mob Haniger at second base, the hero of an improbable, come-from-behind 4-3 win over the Tigers.

The Mariners had been silenced for most of Thursday’s finale, on the verge of suffering a home sweep at the hands of Detroit -- until Raley led off the ninth inning with a single and Randy Arozarena followed, the tying runs instantly aboard.

Vest fanned Cal Raleigh and Justin Turner swinging. But he couldn’t get Haniger.

“I’m just trying to keep it simple and stay in the moment,” Haniger said Thursday night. “For me, just breathe and relax, and take it as any other at-bat.

“I’d like to think the pressure is on the pitcher.”

And perhaps it was the spark that the Mariners needed, now winners of four straight.

“We needed to salvage a win tonight,” Haniger said. “It’s good rolling through the weekend with a win. It’s never fun getting swept by any team.”

SHORT HOPS

— Just how good have Mariners pitchers been? Entering Sunday Night Baseball, Seattle led MLB pitching staffs in ERA (3.44), opponent batting average (.222), WHIP (1.09), and quality starts (72). The Mariners are the only team in MLB with four starting pitchers possessing 12 or more quality starts this season.

— All-Star reliever Andres Munoz made franchise history Saturday night, recording his 11th straight appearance without allowing a hit. Since the streak began July 5, opponents are 0-for-32 through 11.1 hitless innings with no runs, six walks, and a dozen strikeouts against the right-handed flamethrower.

ON DECK

Now begins a three-city, nine-game road trip, consisting of stops in Detroit (Aug. 13-15), Pittsburgh (Aug. 16-18), and Los Angeles (Aug. 19-21) for a marquee interleague matchup with the Dodgers.

Monday’s off-day is rather timely, an opportunity to prepare for a rematch with Detroit’s Tarik Skubal in Tuesday’s series opener at Comerica Park. The Tigers left-hander and AL Cy Young Award contender threw seven strong innings in an Aug. 7 win at T-Mobile Park, surrendering three hits and two earned runs with two walks and nine strikeouts.

The Mariners have yet to announce their starter opposite Skubal.