Two pitchers looking to return to their winning ways will square off when the Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners clash on Sunday afternoon in the rubber match of the three-game series in Arlington, Texas.
Seattle will send Luis Castillo (4-5, 3.69 ERA) to the mound on Sunday against fellow right-hander Jack Leiter (4-5, 4.55) of Texas.
Marcus Semien’s bases-loaded single to right field in the 10th inning scored Alejandro Osuna with the winning run on Saturday as Rangers evened the series with a 3-2 win. The Mariners recorded a 7-6 victory in 12 innings on Friday.
Castillo is looking to get back on track after going six consecutive starts without a win. He recorded two losses and four no-decisions since his last victory on May 19 over the White Sox in Chicago.
Castillo’s latest outing was a five-inning stint in Minnesota on Tuesday in which he allowed five runs on seven hits and two walks in a no-decision.
Castillo is 2-3 with a 3.58 ERA in six career starts against the Rangers, allowing 13 runs on 30 hits and 11 walks with 34 strikeouts in 32 2/3 innings. One of those starts versus Texas was a no-decision at home on May 3 when he gave up one run on four hits over six innings.
The Mariners’ showing on Saturday had a silver lining – a home run by Dominic Canzone, who has been one of the team’s hottest hitters since being recalled from Triple A Tacoma on June 9.
He batted .296 and bashed 13 home runs while at Tacoma. He has carried that success with him over the past 2 1/2 weeks since coming back to Seattle.
“The thing about Dom is that when his barrel finds the ball, it comes off of there,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “He has some great power to all fields. And I think when he thinks about more middle of the field, it makes him a better hitter.”
His stint in the minors allowed Canzone to make a tweak in his batting stance; he is now a little less static and is taking an abbreviated leg kick as the pitch is delivered.
“Just the way that I move, it just didn’t make much sense for me to be as upright as I was,” Canzone said. “The more I can get into the ground, the better.”
Leiter will make his 14th start of the season and will try to produce his first win in June after losing three of his four starts this month. His ERA has climbed from 3.66 after beating St. Louis on May 30 to 4.55 when surrendered three runs on five hits over four innings at Pittsburgh on June 22.
“(He’s) got great stuff,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said about Leiter. “Velocity, slider, curveball, changeup. He’s just got to get it over the plate or at least closer to the plate. That’s what I think he’ll look back at and realize ‘Hey, I’ve got the stuff to attack with two strikes, too.'”
Leiter has taken the loss in his past three starts, surrendering 13 runs on 18 hits and eight walks while striking out just nine in 13 2/3 innings over that stint.
In three lifetime appearances (one start) against the Mariners, Leiter is 0-2 with a 9.45 ERA over 13 1/3 innings. He’s allowed 15 runs (14 earned) on 17 hits while striking out 13 and walking six. His start versus Seattle came earlier this year when he gave up six runs on eight hits over 4 1/3 innings on May 2 at home.
–Field Level Media
