Two teams sitting at the bottom of their respective divisions, both 19 losses deep before May is a week old. The Royals (15-19) and Mariners (16-19) split the first two of this set and play the rubber match Sunday afternoon at T-Mobile Park, with Kris Bubic going for the visitors and Luis Castillo trying to keep his rotation spot for the home side.
The Castillo story is the one to watch. He's 0-2 with a 6.35 ERA across six starts, and the underlying numbers are uglier — he was tagged for seven runs by the Twins in Minneapolis last time out, and over his last five starts he's posted an 8.06 ERA. The velocity is down, the whiffs aren't there, and Bryce Miller is nearing a return from the IL. Seattle is on the hook for $24.15 million this year and next, which is the only reason this conversation is still about the rotation and not the bullpen.
Bubic comes in with a 3.74 ERA and 35 punchouts, but he's been jumpy with the strike zone — three-plus walks in five of his six starts. Royals fans will take it. Their bigger problem is that the lineup is missing Jonathan India for the year after labrum surgery, and the bullpen is operating without Carlos Estevez and Bailey Falter.
- Day-To-DayAnthony Simonelli SP — no
- Day-To-DayJavier Vaz 2B — Vaz (fingers) has produced a .238/.304/.262 slash line with zero home runs and three stolen bases in 10 games since being activated from Double-A Northwest Arkansas' 7-day injured list April 22.
- Day-To-DayTyson Guerrero RP — no
- 10-Day-ILJonathan India 2B — The Royals announced Tuesday that India underwent season-ending surgery to repair the labrum in his left shoulder.
- 15-Day-ILCole Ragans SP — The Royals placed Ragans on the 15-day injured list Friday, retroactive to May 7, due to a left elbow impingement.
- 15-Day-ILCarlos Estevez RP — Estevez (foot) was diagnosed with a right rotator cuff strain Thursday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILBailey Falter RP — Falter (elbow) allowed no hits or walks with two strikeouts across 1.1 scoreless innings with Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday.
- 60-Day-ILJames McArthur RP — The Royals transferred McArthur (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Sunday.
- Day-To-DayTeddy McGraw SP — McGraw is working his way back from right elbow issues, Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline reports.
- 10-Day-ILPatrick Wisdom 1B — The Mariners placed Wisdom on the 10-day injured list Friday due to a left oblique strain, retroactive to Wednesday.
- 10-Day-ILVictor Robles RF — Robles (pectoral) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Tacoma on Sunday, Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reports.
- 10-Day-ILWill Wilson 3B — The Mariners placed Wilson on the 10-day injured list Saturday due to a fractured left thumb.
- 15-Day-ILBryce Miller SP — The Mariners are leaning toward activating Miller (oblique) from the 15-day injured list next week in Houston, Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reports.
- 15-Day-ILGabe Speier RP — The Mariners placed Speier on the 15-day injured list Monday with left shoulder inflammation, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
- 15-Day-ILMatt Brash RP — Brash (lat) began playing catch Tuesday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
- 60-Day-ILMiles Mastrobuoni 3B — Seattle transferred Mastrobuoni (calf) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday.
Seattle's situation isn't much cleaner. Cal Raleigh is out of the lineup for a second straight day with right-side soreness — he first felt it after Friday's game and got imaging done Saturday. Jhonny Pereda gets the start behind the plate, with Rob Refsnyder sliding into the leadoff DH spot against the lefty Bubic. Brendan Donovan is close to returning during the homestand, but he's not walking through that door today.
The market is essentially a coin flip — Pinnacle has Seattle at -105 with a fair-win probability of 50.24%, and the public on DraftKings is leaning home (67% of bets, 61% of handle) on a price that's drifted to -115. The total sits at 8 with a slight lean to the over. Considering what Castillo has been giving up and a Royals club that just dropped two straight, neither side is exactly screaming bet me.
Bottom line: if Castillo can find anything resembling 2024 form, the Mariners take the series. If he can't, this turns into another bullpen day in a season where the Mariners have already lost Matt Brash to the IL. Bubic's command is the swing variable on the other side. Two struggling teams, one starter under the brightest light.