Mariners move into AL West tie after Royals shutout

The Seattle Mariners continued their September surge with a 2-0 road victory over the Kansas City Royals on Thursday at Kauffman Stadium, moving into a tie with the Houston Astros atop the American League West. Their next three-game series against Houston, beginning Friday night at T-Mobile Park, will be crucial. Seattle has gone 20-3 over their last 23 home games at the ballpark, the best 23-game home stretch in franchise history.

Seattle starter Luis Castillo conjured a masterful performance, pitching six innings of three-hit, scoreless ball without issuing a walk. Castillo, now 10-8 on the season, struck out three while keeping hitters off balance with a combination of four-seamers, sinkers, sliders, and changeups.

His fastball, noted for being in the 83rd percentile for Fastball Run Value according to Baseball Savant, helped him get ahead of batters. At the same time, his breaking pitches served as effective put-away offerings. Castillo’s effort earned him his third consecutive quality start, lowering his ERA over four September starts to 2.86.

The Mariners’ offense struck early in the second inning. Josh Naylor singled up the middle off Royals starter Stephen Kolek, followed by Jorge Polanco’s RBI double that scored Naylor and put Seattle ahead 1-0. Kolek, who pitched 7 1/3 innings, allowing just one earned run, was eventually pulled after an important eighth-inning sequence.

Dominic Canzone hit a 109 mph grounder to Royals second baseman Michael Massey, who appeared to be positioned on the grass, a violation of MLB’s defensive shift rules. Mariners manager Dan Wilson successfully challenged the play, which awarded Canzone first base, the first time the team had used the rule in a replay challenge. Two batters later, J.P. Crawford drove in the insurance run with a double down the right-field line, giving Seattle a 2-0 lead.

The Mariners’ bullpen held firm to close out the shutout. Eduard Bazardo and Gabe Speier combined for two scoreless innings, and Andres Munoz struck out the side in the ninth for his 36th save of the season, including a three-pitch strikeout of Adam Frazier to secure the win.

Seattle improved to 84-69 with the win, matching Houston’s record as they head into a decisive series in Houston next that could determine both the division champion and postseason seeding. The Mariners hold a 2.5-game lead in the wildcard race and are positioned to claim the second seed with a first-round bye if they can maintain their momentum.