Baltimore Orioles: Takeaways from Miguel Castro’s first start

With nothing on the line, the Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Miguel Castro got his first start on Saturday night.

The Baltimore Orioles did what they could to provide support for Castro, but they fell short.

The O’s clearly need starting pitching that can throw together consistent starts, so this start seemed like a 2018 tryout for Castro.

Did he pass? Possibly.

Brief history

Castro is only 22 years old and has had three years in the MLB. He began his career with the Toronto Blue Jays, then was moved to the Colorado Rockies before being traded to the Orioles for the 2017 season. He has only pitched in relief and has a career ERA of 4.38. His best work has been in Baltimore, where he has an ERA in 3.53 in the 2017 season.

What happened in the game?

Castro’s start was 3.1 innings. He threw 59 pitches and 37 were strikes. Six of those were called in batters who looked and didn’t swing. Of his 59 pitches, seven were ground balls and six were fly balls. Seven runners ended up on base, one batter was walked, and three runs were scored. Those numbers gave Castro an ERA of 8.10 on the day.

Successful long relief innings

It is difficult to judge a pitcher by one outing. His relief innings have been solid. In his 63 innings of relief, he has only given up eight home runs. Castro has had a few innings of long relief where he has looked outstanding, especially on August 23 against the Oakland A’s. He threw 50 pitches in 3.2 innings and did not give up a run.

Castro, in typical reliever form, was outstanding in the first inning. He threw 11 pitches, striking out one batter and only throwing one pitch to Wilson Ramos, the third batter. The second and third innings were not as easy for Castro. He gave up a single and double before earning the final out with a strikeout in the second. The Rays still hadn’t scored in the third inning, but Castro walked one and struck out one.

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Castro has never pitched in more than 3.1 innings. So, it made sense that the fourth inning would give him trouble. He gave up singles to the first two batters, then a home run to Brad Miller gave the Rays three runs on the board. The next batter grounded out to Castro. After that out, Buck Showalter replaced him with Richard Bleier.

What about next year?

Could Castro pitch in the rotation in 2018? Yes.

But to be an asset to the starting rotation, he will need to use the off-season to work on his endurance on the mound. It would also be nice to see him get a fourth pitch to add to his fastball, changeup, and slider repertoire. His fastball hits a respectable 95 MPH and his slider and changeup are in the mid-80s.

Being only 22, he certainly has his young age going for him. Castro has proven to be consistent and a competitor, which is what the Orioles need out of their 2018 rotation. He ended the 2017 season with a positive WAR of 0.9, which is better than Ubaldo Jimenez’s WAR of -1.3 and Chris Tillman’s -2.2.

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Castro has proven himself an asset to the team. If he does remain in a relief role, he should stay with the Orioles, as every team needs a reliever who can throw three solid innings.