2 undersung Seattle Mariners pitchers – for very different reasons

There are a few players that have rightfully dominated the headlines for the Seattle Mariners this season.

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At the top of the list is Cal Raleigh, who is pacing to have the best season in history by a catcher in terms of power.

Next would be All-Star pitcher Andrés Muñoz, who has been the toughest closer in the American League.

Jorge Polanco’s hot April also grabbed attention, as did a stellar first two months by third-year starter Bryan Woo. And lately, J.P. Crawford has been making noise with a push for his first All-Star nomination.

But there are a few others whose contributions have perhaps been undersung, whether it’s because their numbers haven’t fully rebounded from slower starts, or because their role isn’t all that showy.

Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto touched on a few such players in a conversation with broadcasters Aaron Goldsmith and Gary Hill Jr. from the latest edition of Trident Talk, which airs an hour before the M’s pregame show each Sunday on Seattle Sports.

Here’s a look at two of those players – both pitchers – and what Dipoto said about them.

1. Luis Castillo

The three-time All-Star starting pitcher has quietly started putting together another solid season.

Though his ERA was 4.44 after five games, Castillo now has it down to 3.29 following six innings of two-run ball Friday in a Mariners win over Cleveland.

Castillo’s eight quality starts is behind only Bryan Woo (nine) among M’s pitchers this season, which is important considering Logan Gilbert, George Kirby and Bryce Miller have all spent extended time on the injured list.

• What Dipoto said: “Between (Castillo) and Bryan Woo and what they were able to do in getting us across the line, just phenomenal. But the uptick in his physical stuff has been notable. And it’s been every pitch in his arsenal. It’s his strikes, it’s his command. And save for a couple of starts where he really had to battle against Toronto, every other start it seems that he’s made outside of the return to Cincinnati has been a metronome start. And you’re seeing it in ways that ‘The Rock’ really didn’t do (before). It used to be gaudy strikeout numbers and overpowering at the top of the strike zone, the great changeup. He shows up, he’s got a full arsenal, he’s using all of his pitches, his locations are outstanding.”

2. Casey Lawrence

Now we’re really talking undersung.

The 37-year-old Lawrence actually has made plenty of headlines this season, but that’s because he’s been designated for assignment six times this season by two teams: five times by the Mariners, and once by the Toronto Blue Jays. After each of those DFAs except the one when Toronto claimed him off waivers, Lawrence has elected free agency and returned to the Mariners on a minor league contract.

When Lawrence has been with the Mariners, he’s pitched pretty well. He’s appeared in five games for Seattle, logging 15 innings with a 3.00 ERA. He’s also pitched in five games with Triple-A Tacoma, where he owns a 3.86 ERA and has remained stretched out as a starting pitcher with four starts.

When the Mariners have had a need in the bullpen for someone to cover innings, Lawrence has answered the call. And that’s big, especially when you consider how the rotation’s injury troubles have resulted in the M’s needing to lean on the relief corps much more than last season when Seattle led the league in innings pitched by starters – which also meant their bullpen threw the least innings in MLB.

• What Dipoto said: “We’re not here if not for the contributions of guys like Casey Lawrence. The amount of time that we have asked him to commute to support us and get us through rough times, we don’t make it through the first two months of our season if he’s not there to kind of pick up the the mantle and go.”

More on the Seattle Mariners

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• Touted Mariners prospect sidelined with another injury
• Morosi: Two Mariners trade targets from AL West rival
• Seattle Mariners Injury Updates: When Raley, others could return

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