Mariners fall 10-2 to the Brewers on July 23 as ace Luis Castillo gets rocked in his worst start of 2025. Can Seattle's bats wake up after this blowout?
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
Just when you thought the Mariners had stolen the momentum, Wednesday happened. After Cal Raleigh's heroics snapped Milwaukee's 11-game win streak on Tuesday, the Brewers came back with a vengeance, routing the M's 10-2 in a game that was over far too early. With ace Luis Castillo having his worst start of the season and MLB home run king Cal Raleigh watching from the dugout, it was a day to forget at T-Mobile Park.
Luis Castillo allowed a season-high six runs over five innings as the Brewers racked up a staggering 17 hits.
It was a rare and jarring sight for Mariners fans: Luis Castillo getting knocked around. 'La Piedra' looked anything but rock-solid, surrendering a season-high six earned runs on ten hits in just five innings of work. While he managed seven strikeouts and, impressively, issued no walks, the Brewers simply had his number. The decisive blow came in a three-run fourth inning that broke a 2-2 tie and put Milwaukee in the driver's seat for good. For an ace who has been so reliable, this outing was a brutal anomaly that put the team in a hole they couldn't climb out of.
For a brief moment, it looked like the offense might be able to pick up their struggling ace. Down 2-0 in the second, the M's fought back to tie it up. Jorge Polanco got on base, and Dominic Canzone promptly doubled him in. Newcomer Ben Williamson followed with a single to score Canzone, and just like that, it was a brand new ballgame. Unfortunately, that was the last time a Mariner would cross home plate. The bats went completely silent, managing only six hits all day as the Brewers' pitching staff took control.
The elephant not in the room was Cal Raleigh. After winning the All-Star Home Run Derby and leading all of baseball with 39 homers, the 'Big Dumper' was given a scheduled day of rest. While a day off is certainly earned, his absence was deeply felt in the lineup. Mitch Garver got the start behind the plate, but the M's missed the thunder Raleigh provides in the middle of the order. It's a classic manager's dilemma: rest your superstar and risk a game like this, or run him into the ground? Today, the gamble didn't pay off.
The M's need to have a short memory. This was a clunker, plain and simple. They'll look to wash the taste of this loss away tomorrow as they open a crucial series against the Los Angeles Angels. The good news? They're sending Logan Evans to the mound. The potentially dramatic news? He's facing off against former Mariner Yusei Kikuchi. Let's hope the offense shows up to give their old teammate a rude welcome home.
