Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 3
Blue Jays Send 3.02 ERA Dylan Cease Against Mariners' 4.93 ERA Luis Castillo
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 3

Blue Jays Send 3.02 ERA Dylan Cease Against Mariners' 4.93 ERA Luis Castillo

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 3

Summary

  • Toronto enters Friday's matchup with a clear edge on the mound, starting Dylan Cease, who is 4-4 with a 3.02 ERA after joining the Blue Jays in the offseason.
  • Seattle counters with Luis Castillo, whose season has slipped to 3-6 with a 4.93 ERA and an even weaker 5.68 ERA at home, though his monthly ERA has improved each month.
  • The Mariners are 45-43 and have been stronger at home, but their offense has lagged with a .232 team batting average and Cal Raleigh only just ending an 0-for-38 skid.
  • Toronto is five games under .500 at 2-3 over its last five, leaving both clubs well short of expectations after meeting in last year's AL Championship Series.
  • Run production has been a shared problem: the Blue Jays and Mariners rank 24th and 25th in MLB scoring at about four runs per game, adding urgency ahead of the trade deadline.

Insights

With Seattle tied for first place, are they truly underperforming or were preseason expectations simply wrong?
As MLB batting averages hit a 58-year low, are teams like the Jays and Mariners victims of a larger offensive crisis?
Should the Mariners trade their highest-paid pitcher to fix their offense, signaling a new front office trend?