Luis Castillo dominates Pirates, Mariners eke out 1-0 victory

SEATTLE – The pitch was perfect. The punctuation was, too.

Luis Castillo, on a 3-2 pitch, painted a 96.8-mph fastball on the outer edge to strike out Oneil Cruz to end the top of the seventh inning Saturday night.

Castillo then spun around the mound, holding a pose for a beat, and then walked backward for several steps as he flashed his trademark fist pump, a smooth celebration for the veteran right-hander’s best performance of the season.

The Mariners needed Castillo at his best, too.

Rookie Ben Williamson’s two-out double drove in Jorge Polanco for the game’s only run in the sixth inning, and the Mariners eked out a 1-0 victory and series win over the Pittsburgh Pirates before a crowd of 32,295 at T-Mobile Park.

Matt Brash and Andrés Muñoz locked it down late to complete the two-hit shutout, and the Mariners (47-42) posted back-to-back shutouts for first time since last August.

Pirates starter Mike Burrows threw five shutout innings, working around four walks (three to Cal Raleigh) with six strikeouts.

The Pirates turned to lefty reliever Caleb Ferguson in the sixth inning, and Polanco greeted him with a leadoff double down the left-field line. Polanco moved to third on Luke Raley’s broken-bat groundout to first base.

Pinch-hitter Donovan Solano worked a 3-2 count but ended up grounding out. Williamson then came through with a sharp double to the wall in right-center field.

Mariners extra

Stat of the Week: 6

Woo struck out eight Pirates over six scoreless innings on Friday, and he’s thrown at least six innings in all 17 of his starts this season, the only MLB pitcher to do so.

Cal Raleigh, indeed, should have friendly company alongside him at the MLB All-Star Game in Atlanta.

Mariners closer Andrés Muñoz looks like a virtual lock for his second straight All-Star selection, and the 25-year-old Woo has put together an impressive first-half résumé that should earn him strong consideration.

Woo has a 2.77 ERA with 104 strikeouts and 19 walks. Among American League starters, he ranks sixth in WHIP (0.96) and innings pitched (1071/3), and eighth in batting average against (.212).

Woo and reigning Cy Young winner and former Seattle U pitcher Tarik Skubal are the only two MLB pitchers with 100 strikeouts, an ERA under 3.00 and fewer than 20 walks.

Raleigh was announced as the AL starting catcher on Wednesday.

Among other Mariners, Randy Arozarena (3.2 bWAR) and Julio Rodriguez (3.2) rank among the AL outfield leaders in WAR, and J.P. Crawford (2.7) has earned consideration as well.

The rest of the All-Star rosters will be unveiled Sunday afternoon (2 p.m. ESPN).

Who’s Hot

Cal Raleigh hit his 34th and 35th homers Friday — both from the right side — to tie Ken Griffey Jr. for the franchise record before the All-Star break. Raleigh became the ninth player in MLB history to reach 35 homers in his team’s first 88 team games, and the first catcher to do so, joining: Babe Ruth (1921, ’28), Jimmie Foxx (1932), Roger Maris (1961), Reggie Jackson (1969), Griffey (1998), Mark McGwire (1998), Luis Gonzalez (2001) and Barry Bonds (2001).

Who’s Not

It’s been a hot-and-cold debut run for Cole Young, the Mariners’ 21-year-old second baseman. Young had the first three-hit game of his career Monday against the Royals but then had only one hit in his next 13 at-bats with no walks and five strikeouts. In his first 105 plate appearances, Young was slashing .235/.269/.276 with a 2.8% walk rate, a 23.8% strikeout rate and a 56 wRC+ (100 is average). If he doesn’t start to turn things around in the next couple weeks, the Mariners will have to consider an upgrade at second base ahead of the July 31 trade deadline.

Prospect Watch

Right-handed reliever Hunter Cranton, the Mariners’ 2024 third-round pick out of Kansas, made his High-A debut with the Everett AquaSox on Wednesday. He allowed one run on one hit with one strikeout in his one inning of work, and he sat 96-99 mph. Cranton, 24, had the start to his season delayed first by a concussion in spring training and then a shoulder ailment. If he stays healthy, Cranton could move quickly through the Mariners system.