Luis Castillo Threw From The Bullpen And Josh Naylor Is Making Tigers Fans Lose Their Minds

Holy smokes, Emerald City! You gotta be buzzing after what went down Saturday night! Our Mariners clinched a 4-0 shutout win over the Tigers, fueled by an absolute MOONSHOT from Dominic Canzone that silenced the Detroit crowd. But that's not even the half of it, because the drama brewing with Josh Naylor is starting to boil over, and frankly, we are here for it!

Canzone's 451-Foot Statement And Naylor's No-Apologies Approach

Dominic Canzone absolutely showed up for the M's on Saturday. The dude crushed a 451-foot home run to straightaway center field. Think about that for a second. That ball was a rocket! He even said, "It usually doesn't fly too well in center. So, if I hit anything to center, I'm hustling out of the box." He also added an RBI double, leading our offense and snapping the Tigers' four-game winning streak where they’d racked up 32 runs. Huge performance!

But let's be real, the real fireworks are coming from our first baseman, Josh Naylor. He is getting under the Tigers' skin with his aggressive, borderline chippy play. On Saturday, he got beaned by a Keider Montero pitch, and Naylor was NOT having it, calling out Detroit pitcher Framber Valdez for "pointing and laughing at me on the bench, so I knew it was on purpose." The Tigers' dugout is definitely not sending him any friend requests. Their infielder, Colt Keith, even admitted, "I think he's a guy that you like him if you're his teammate, and you hate him if you're on the other team. I've seen him do some questionable, like borderline dirty baseball stuff. But I think he plays hard, and he's just trying to get in our heads." This is exactly the kind of energy we love to see from our guys!

Pitching Puzzles And The Finale Showdown

Now, let's talk about the mound because things are getting interesting. Our own Luis Castillo, who holds a 2-5 record with a 5.53 ERA, made only the second relief appearance of his career last Sunday. He threw five innings against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks, giving up two runs, with only one earned, and two hits. His mindset is pure grit, saying, "It doesn't matter what situation, what position you put me in. Once I cross that white line, I've got to go in there and do my job, get those outs." That's the mentality we need!

On the Tigers' side, Jack Flaherty (1-7, 5.31 ERA) finally snapped his personal skid, getting his first win in 13 starts on Tuesday. He hadn't seen a victory credited to his name since last September 10. He pitched five scoreless innings against the Tampa Bay Rays in an 8-0 shutout, saying, "It is good to get one." But let's not forget, Detroit lost his previous eight starts, and in May, he posted a 0-5 record with a 6.26 ERA across six starts, allowing 33 hits in 27 1/2 innings. The good news for us? He's 2-0 with a 4.22 ERA in four career outings against the Mariners, so we know he can bring it.

A quick note, our shortstop J.P. Crawford had to sit out Saturday after getting hit in the hand by a pitch during Friday's 7-3 Detroit win. Fingers crossed he's back soon!

So, here we are, heading into the series finale today. With Castillo's versatility on display, Canzone's power, and Naylor's willingness to get under their skin, this M's team is showing some serious fight. It's time to carry that momentum forward and show the Tigers what the Emerald City is all about!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.