Tag: Luis Castillo

MLB fans mocked the White Sox after Luis Castillo shut them down with 47 straight fastballs

No respect for the White Sox at all.

There arguably isn’t a more difficult task in all of professional sports than hitting big-league pitching. In today’s MLB, batters are facing pitchers who throw around triple digits with intense movement and devastating breaking balls. It seems impossible.

But that task becomes demonstrably easier when you know what pitch is coming. After all, it’s why MLB had a whole scandal about sign stealing.

That’s what made Luis Castillo’s Monday night outing so remarkably embarrassing for the Chicago White Sox hitters. Castillo decided that he was going to completely abandon his breaking pitches (slider and changeup) and only throw fastballs from the fourth inning on.

And guess what? It worked!

Castillo threw 47 straight fastballs against the White Sox. From the fourth inning through the seventh inning, the White Sox only managed two hits and no runs despite almost certainly picking up on the trend. They knew a fastball was coming, and they simply could not make Castillo pay for it.

Castillo ended up striking out nine hitters in seven innings and allowed five hits.

The glorified bullpen session turned into a 14-2 White Sox loss, and fans roasted the White Sox for getting shut down by 47 straight fastballs.

Luis Castillo threw a 99 mph pitch with so much movement that fans thought it was powered by remote control

This might be the coolest pitch of the MLB season.

We’re living in a time where Major League Baseball pitchers are throwing just the most ridiculous pitches in the history of the game. And we’re reminded of that just about every day by so many different dudes who take the mound and find cool ways to make hitters look silly.

The latest example of that came Wednesday in Seattle when Mariners pitcher Luis Castillo struck out Padres slugger Juan Soto with a 99 mph two-seamer that had so much movement on it that it left fans in awe while wondering how it was evenly physically possible to throw such a pitch.

Check this thing out:

I mean, come on! That was just ridiculous. It was in the strike zone and then… it very much was not.

Twitter was in awe.

1 bold prediction for every Chargers positional unit: Defense

Making predictions for the Los Angeles Chargers’ dynamic defense.

The Chargers kick off their season this Sunday against the Raiders after an offseason makeover that included the addition of Khalil Mack, JC Jackson, and Sebastian Joseph-Day, among others.

How will the positional groups shape up? Here’s a bold prediction for each unit on defense.

Interior Defensive Line

LA finishes in the top ten in run defense DVOA

The last time the Chargers finished in the top ten in run defense DVOA was 2010 when the likes of Luis Castillo and Jacques Cesaire were patrolling the defensive line. For another idea of how long ago that was: Antonio Gates was in his eighth season out of an eventual sixteen in 2010. His son, Antonio Jr., is a true freshman wide receiver at Michigan State this season.

Last season, Los Angeles was 30th in run defense DVOA, somewhat generous considering how porous the line was. Brandon Staley emphasized improving the group this offseason, bringing in Joseph-Day, Austin Johnson, Morgan Fox, and draftee Otito Ogbonnia. Breiden Fehoko earned a roster spot over veteran Christian Covington. It’s a completely revamped group with familiarity with Staley’s defense. In 2020, when Staley served as Rams defensive coordinator, the team was third in run defense DVOA. The coaching is there, as are the players. All that’s left now is to set a precedent.

Edge defender

Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack have the most sacks of any duo in the NFL

The league is filled to the brim with outstanding pass rush duos. Even within the division, Chandler Jones has teamed up with Maxx Crosby on the Raiders. Bradley Chubb and Randy Gregory are a high-upside duo in Denver. In Dallas, Micah Parsons and Demarcus Lawrence are a formidable team. Then, of course, the Rams, Steelers, and 49ers all have at least one top-flight option as well.

Still, Bosa and Mack might be the best of them all. Bosa has logged ten or more sacks in four out of his six seasons as a pro – in the two he didn’t, he also missed at least four games apiece. Mack hasn’t had more than ten sacks in a season since 2018, but he’s looked like a new man since arriving in LA this offseason after four seasons in Chicago. 2018 was also the last season Mack spent with Staley as his outside linebackers coach. If both players stay healthy and produce to the levels they’re capable of, there’s no reason why they can’t lead the league in sacks.

Linebacker

Kenneth Murray emerges as an impact player

Murray is listed as a second-team linebacker behind Kyle Van Noy and Drue Tranquill as of Monday. Still, there are several reasons to feel optimistic about his projection this season. First, the Chargers only kept three edge rushers on the initial 53-man roster, suggesting that Van Noy will have a big role in that area. Murray will therefore have plenty of reps available to him next to Tranquill. Additionally, the former first-round pick’s struggles have at least partially stemmed from an inability to get off blocks. But with a much improved defensive line, Murray should stay mostly clean this season, giving him the freedom to harness his freak athleticism and make plays all over the field.

The former Oklahoma product has only been practicing for a few weeks after coming off the PUP list as he recovers from off-season ankle surgery. However, by giving Murray the time he needs to heal completely, the Chargers are also allowing him to regain confidence in his movement skills. That confidence will prevent hesitation and allow Murray to hit a playmaking stride.

Secondary

Michael Davis cements himself as CB2

Davis told reporters that distractions in his personal life prevented him from being at his best last season after signing a three-year, $25.2 million extension last offseason. With those distractions now resolved, Davis made a strong case for the starting job opposite JC Jackson in training camp. Davis and Asante Samuel Jr. will likely start on Sunday as Jackson recovers from ankle surgery, giving the Chargers a unique opportunity to continue their evaluation of both players. If he plays to the level he did in 2020, Davis will be at least solid on the boundary.

Luis Castillo trade grades: Who won the Mariners and Reds deal?

Handing out some grades for the Luis Castillo deal.

Cross one of the top arms on the trade market off the list.

Luis Castillo, whom many thought was going to be dealt by the struggling and rebuilding Cincinnati Reds, was sent to the surprising Seattle Mariners, who were scorching hot entering the All-Star break and who are for sure Wild Card contenders.

The price, though, was quite a haul of prospects for the Reds, exactly the kind of move they needed to make.

As usual, we’re grading the big trades as the Aug. 2 MLB trade deadline approaches, so let’s dive in with this deal and hand out some grades to both sides:

2020 National League Cy Young odds, picks and best bets

Previewing the National League Cy Young Award odds, with MLB betting odds, picks and best bets

Can anyone prevent Jacob deGrom from winning the 2020 National League Cy Young Award — which would be his third straight? The gang at BetMGM isn’t making it easy on bettors who think not, installing the Mets ace as the clear favorite at +280.

As of 4:30 p.m. ET Sunday, March 8, BetMGM has 10 other pitchers with a line of less than +3000:

  • Max Scherzer (+450)
  • Walker Buehler (+1000)
  • Jack Flaherty; Stephen Strasburg (+1100)
  • Clayton Kershaw (+1200)
  • Luis Castillo (+2000)
  • Patrick Corbin; Aaron Nola; Yu Darvish; Trevor Bauer (+2500)

National League Cy Young: Breaking down the field

When it comes to projecting a Cy Young winner, you try to go through a process of elimination.

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You don’t get enough return from deGrom. Strasburg is coming the best season of his career, but he has too long an injury history to ignore. The same goes for Kershaw. Opponents have a .208 career batting average against him and he has a career 2.44 ERA, but he hasn’t thrown 180 innings in any of his last four seasons, which limits your opportunities to get wins consistently.

Flaherty has talent and could be primed for a breakout season, but in 66 career starts he has a record of 19-19, which makes winning the Cy Young a spring training stretch — despite him going 7-2 with a 0.91 ERA after the All-Star Break last year. Castillo showed great improvement in 2019, but walks too many players, which leads to too many cheap runs being scored.

When it comes down to placing a wager, I would split the money between two of the top candidates that have solid return rates — Scherzer and Buehler. Scherzer is 35 so there is a concern about age, but in an era dominated by strikeouts, few are better than him. In five seasons in Washington, he has posted a sub-3.00 ERA of each of them and has an astounding 1,371 strikeouts in 1,050 2/3 innings. Last year, despite battling through back problems, he posted 243 strikeouts in 172 1/3 innings and a WHIP of 1.03 (his highest total in five years). He has all the tools.

Dodgers starting pitcher and budding ace Walker Buehler. (Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez – USA TODAY Sports)

Put the other half of your bankroll on Buehler. At +1000, there are a lot of things to like about him. The Dodgers have dominated the National League West, winning the last seven division titles and leaving no reason to expect they won’t again in 2020. With concerns over Kershaw’s availability for a full season, Buehler will likely be asked to take on the role of the innings-eating ace. At 25, he is hitting his prime and, with that potent Dodger lineup behind him, 20 wins is a possibility.

THE BET: Scherzer if you’re only betting on one player; Scherzer and Buehler if you’re willing to split your bet.

Want to get some action on MLB futures betting? Do you have what it takes to pick this season’s winners before the season even starts? Place legal sports bets online at BetMGM.

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