KANSAS CITY -- The stage is now set. Luis Castillo made sure of it.
The Mariners’ righty spun six scoreless frames to lead a 2-0 series-clinching victory over the Royals on Thursday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium.
Seattle (84-69) is now tied atop the American League West with idle Houston (84-69) as the two clubs open a crucial three-game set beginning on Friday at Daikin Park that will not only determine the playoff tiebreaker, but could decide the division title as well -- something the Mariners haven’t won since their historic 116-win season in 2001.
It’ll be a playoff-like atmosphere, and the Mariners are ready for it.
“This is going to be fun,” manager Dan Wilson said. “To get some momentum today is big, but we got to be prepared -- and we will be. This is why you play. It’s exciting. I think everybody in there is ready to go and like I said, getting today, getting some momentum, and now it’s game on in Houston.”
Ahead of Seattle’s biggest series of the season (to date), the Mariners had to first take care of business in Kansas City. They did that behind their 32-year-old veteran starter.
After a sudden end to their 10-game winning streak on Wednesday knocked the club out of first place, Castillo made sure to put the Mariners back in the win column by allowing just three hits and walking none. He was at 40 pitches through two innings, but needed just 84 to toss his third straight quality start.
“That veteran presence and understanding of the situation, and he certainly stood up today and took the ball and did what we needed him to do,” Wilson said. “You sense those moments, you sense those situations because he’s been around the game and he’s experienced it, and he delivered today in a big way.
“That’s what we’ve seen from him the last couple of times, starting even in Atlanta [on Sept. 7]. That was a big game for us, a turnaround game, and a chance to win the series there, too. And he stepped up there and hasn’t stepped back down. He’s on a roll.”
As the postseason nears, Castillo is doing all he can to earn a spot in the rotation behind Bryan Woo. He took that next step by once again relying on his breaking balls (20 sliders, 16 changeups, nine sinkers) against Kansas City to generate weak contact. Through four September starts, he has just a 2.86 ERA.
“I think from the last few starts, I’ve been working a little bit more on some of the breaking balls, especially on the changeup,” Castillo said. “I think I’ve gotten to the point where I’m confident in throwing it no matter what the count is.”
Castillo’s gem was exactly what the Mariners needed because they didn’t have an answer for Royals starter Stephen Kolek, who tossed 7 1/3 innings of one-run ball. Jorge Polanco’s RBI double in the second inning opened the scoring, but the way the Mariners forced Kolek out of the game exemplified how crucial the team is taking every play as the playoff push heightens.
On what seemed like a routine groundout by Dominic Canzone to second base in the top of the eighth ended up flipping the late-game situation. The Mariners successfully challenged that Royals second baseman Michael Massey had his heels on the dirt, resulting in a fielding error and placing Canzone on first base due to a shift violation.
It was the first time that replay coordinator Andy Bissell recalled challenging that specific rule, and two batters later, J.P. Crawford smacked an RBI double down the right-field line for a two-run cushion.
“That was the best swing of the game. He put us right in front,” Polanco said. “It was a good thing, too, that [Bissell] recognized that. For J.P., he has been doing it in the big moments all year, and we want that guy to take those swings in the big moments.”
The moments will only grow bigger in the coming days but it’s a clubhouse full of veterans -- and no moment will be too large. The Mariners know what needs to be done to get where they want to go, and they have the right attitude.
“Since the beginning of the season, we've been having fun. We cannot stop doing that, you know?” Polanco said. “That’s the main thing in this game is to have fun. This is a game. We just go out there and give our best effort and give everything we have, but have fun.”
It’ll be a lot more fun if the wins follow in Houston, too.