La Angels Angels vs Seattle Mariners Picks and Predictions July 11th 2024

Mariners’ Luis Castillo to Take on Angels, Rookie Jack Kochanowicz

Jack Kochanowicz will make his first appearance in the major league while pitching for the Los Angeles Angels in a four-game series against the Seattle Mariners in Anaheim, California beginning on Thursday. Kochanowicz, a tall 6-foot-7 pitcher, will be promoted from Double-A Rocket City. This season, the pitcher who is 23 years old has made 16 starts and has a record of 5 wins and 6 losses, with an earned run average of 4.55. Noteworthy, Kochanowicz has shown significant improvement in his last nine starts, recording a 2.90 ERA and pitching two complete games in his most recent three appearances.

“I thought it was definitely in the cards,” Kochanowicz said of his call-up. “It was my first big-league camp this year, which was very, very exciting at the time, but just definitely thought it was possible.”

Angels’ Managerial Expectations

Angels manager Ron Washington is hopeful that Kochanowicz can pitch deep into the game. The Angels’ bullpen has been heavily utilized recently, combining for 17 innings in the past three games while allowing just three earned runs. On Wednesday evening, Los Angeles relievers contributed 4 2/3 scoreless innings in a 7-2 victory against the visiting Texas Rangers, snapping a three-game losing streak.

Facing the Mariners

Kochanowicz will face a formidable challenge against the Mariners, who currently lead the American League West by two games over the Houston Astros. Seattle is coming off a two-game sweep against the San Diego Padres, marking their first series win in nearly a month. They will seek to extend their winning streak to three games with veteran right-hander Luis Castillo taking the mound.

Castillo’s Recent Performance

Luis Castillo, who has a record of 7-9 with an ERA of 3.72, just had his best outing in more than a month. His 200th start in the majors came last Friday, when he pitched six and a half innings and struck out two Toronto Blue Jays while allowing just one run and two hits. Until he gave up a leadoff solo home run in the sixth inning, Castillo came very close to pitching a no-hitter.

Scott Servais, the director of the Mariners, referenced that Castillo shocked the Toronto hitters by rolling out a significant improvement to his slider, bringing its speed down to 82-83 mph from 87-88 mph.

The excursion was called “absolutely amazing” by Servais. He was giving his best performance.

“I did it, I threw it, I threw it (Friday) and it gave us results. I think I liked it,” he said. “It helps a lot.”

Castillo vs. Angels

Throughout history, Castillo has shown impressive performance against the Angels, winning 4 out of 7 career starts with a 3.30 ERA. Angels’ third baseman Anthony Rendon, in his third game after coming back from a 69-game break because of a torn hamstring, has performed well against Castillo, hitting 4-for-9 with two home runs.

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However, despite starting slow with a 1-for-7 record against Castillo, second-year shortstop Zach Neto has been on fire in the Angels offense lately. Neto has performed well in the last two games, hitting 5 out of 8 times with a home run and three RBIs, after missing Monday’s game against the Rangers. This performance came after a rough stretch of 3 hits in 23 at-bats at the beginning of the month.

“We still need to meet with him to prevent him from isolating himself,” Washington said about Neto. “This is the most time he has spent playing baseball, and he has never had any setbacks, and I keep reminding him, he’s not failing, he’s simply facing challenges.”

During the Mariners and Angels game, all eyes will be on the pitchers, as both teams aim to begin the series on a high note.