Castillo works through trouble in 'character start'

CLEVELAND -- With two outs in the second inning Sunday afternoon at Progressive Field, Royals starter Max Castillo had trouble on the basepaths and needed to work himself out of a jam.

The young right-hander was close to getting out of it, with two strikes on Guardians outfielder Will Brennan -- a Blue Valley (Kan.) High School grad and former Kansas State standout.

Castillo reared back for a fastball, aiming it up and away from the left-handed-hitting Brennan. But Castillo overcooked the pitch: It came back toward the middle of the plate, and Brennan crushed it for a three-run homer.

The inning quickly snowballed from there, with Castillo giving up another three-run homer before finally getting the third out that had eluded him. That big inning led to the Royals’ 7-5 loss to the Guardians in the third game of this six-game series in Cleveland to conclude the regular season.

“Mainly too much effort on the fastball,” Castillo said through interpreter Luis Perez. “You never want that to happen. Just one pitch with two outs. The main goal after that is to get back, fight, and help the team with innings.”

Castillo did regain control of his fastball after the second inning, intentionally throwing it with less velocity to get his command back. That helped him retire 10 of the final 12 batters he faced, pitching into the sixth inning and not allowing another run.

“That’s something we try to guard these guys from a lot, is having those games where they just got to eat it,” manager Mike Matheny said. “But it helps them, and it helps us. He’s giving us a chance the next few days now by not killing [the bullpen]. I don’t know how we would have gotten through the rest of the game if he doesn’t get through the second, let alone pitch himself into the sixth. It was one of those character starts.

“I think it’s just one inning of inconsistencies. He’s going to have to try to work his way through. He’s learning himself, just like everybody else.”

The Royals, too, are still learning about the kind of pitcher Castillo is and what role he could fill in 2023 and beyond after acquiring him from the Blue Jays on the Aug. 2 Trade Deadline. He made nine appearances for Toronto (two starts) and pitched to a 3.05 ERA in 20 2/3 innings with five walks and 20 strikeouts.

In five appearances for the Royals (four starts), Castillo has a 9.16 ERA in 18 2/3 innings, with 10 walks and 17 strikeouts.

“It wasn’t the best half, but it was a half with a lot of things to learn from,” Castillo said. “[The Royals] feel like a family. It’s a young team, but there are a couple of players with a ton of experience that I’ve learned from.”

Despite the difference in results, the Royals still see Castillo filling a valuable role in the future, likely as a swingman between the bullpen and rotation.

“He can pitch,” Matheny said. “We’ve always talked about his presence, his heart rate, but you can see he’s a young pitcher. Tried to reach back and throw with more velocity, ended up having some big misses. You’ve got to learn the hard way with that sometimes. I think this has been a really good experience for him to see how he fits with us and that we believe in him.

“I think there are better things to come. He’s very young. Doesn’t look like it on the mound, but he is, and he’s got a bright future.”

And what Castillo did to keep the Guardians at seven runs didn’t go unnoticed by the Royals’ offense, which cut its deficit to two runs by the eighth inning. Kansas City hitters actually out-hit the Guardians, 12-10, but left 11 on base.

The Royals have been focusing on finishing the 2022 season strong while getting plenty of looks at the players who will shape their ‘23 roster. On Sunday, rookies MJ Melendez and Vinnie Pasquantino both put together three-hit games, with Pasquantino also drawing a walk.

“I think it’s important for this team to make sure we don’t roll over the last few games of this season,” Pasquantino said. “They’ve already clinched before we played them, so they’re tuning up as we’re tuning down, so to speak, but that doesn’t mean these games aren’t important. It’s important to treat these games the same as always.”