It suffices to say that the Seattle Mariners are looking to turn the page on Saturday.
Their 8-4 loss to the Miami Marlins on Friday delivered a punch to the gut before the game was even over. Ace starter Logan Gilbert exited after three innings with tightness in his forearm, with the Mariners revealing on Saturday is the result of a right elbow flexor strain.
For the meantime, the Mariners will hope to follow the same playbook as the one that led to the last three of their five straight series victories: lose the first game, and then rally back to win the next two. Leading the charge on Saturday will be Luis Castillo, who will be hoping for a smoother voyage after back-to-back challenging outings.
Let’s break down the pitching matchup, starting lineups and how to tune into Game 2 against the Marlins, with first pitch at T-Mobile Park set for 6:40 p.m. PT.
Starting for the Mariners: Luis Castillo, RHP (2-2, 4.44 ERA)
Castillo began his 2025 season on a strong note, as his first three starts saw him go at least five innings and allow no more than two earned runs.
What the three-time All-Star has done since then is something akin to hitting a wall. His last two outings have seen him give nine earned runs in 9.1 innings, with a ton of traffic on the basepaths by way of 17 hits and six walks.
“La Piedra” typically is a slow starter, but the 32-year-old is also showing signs of having aged out of his prime. His fastball velocity is in an ongoing decline, and both his whiff and strikeout rates are in the neighborhood of the 30th percentile.
The Mariners can nonetheless hope that Castillo might have a little something extra for the Marlins. They’re one of his former teams, as he spent a few months in the organization in 2016 before going to the Cincinnati Reds by way of a trade in January of 2017.
Starting for the Marlins: Connor Gillispie, RHP (0-2, 6.75 ERA)
It’s fair to call Gillispie an underdog. He was a ninth-round draft pick back in 2019, and it was only in August of last year that he finally made his major league debut.
His numbers don’t leap off the page, however, and there isn’t much under the hood to suggest that the 27-year-old is capable of much better. He’ll show Mariners hitters a four-pitch mix headlined by a sweeper, four-seamer, and cutter, though none of his pitches is likely to get a swing and miss. He also isn’t much of a ground-ball artist.
In other words, the Mariners seem to have an opportunity to score early and score often on Saturday.
Mariners Starting Lineup vs. Gillispie
- CF Julio Rodríguez (R)
- DH Jorge Polanco (S)
- C Cal Raleigh (S)
- LF Randy Arozarena (R)
- RF Luke Raley (L)
- 1B Rowdy Tellez (L)
- 3B Ben Williamson (R)
- 2B Miles Mastrobuoni (L)
- SS J.P. Crawford (L)
Marlins Starting Lineup vs. Castillo
- SS Xavier Edwards (S)
- RF Jesús Sanchez (L)
- C Agustín Ramírez (R)
- LF Kyle Stowers (L)
- 1B Eric Wagaman (R)
- 2B Otto Lopez (R)
- DH Matt Mervis (L)
- 3B Connor Norby (R)
- CF Dane Myers (R)
How can I watch the Mariners today?
Regional Coverage
- Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Alaska: The game will be televised on ROOT Sports Northwest.
- Florida, Georgia, Southern Alabama: The game will be televised on FanDuel Sports Network Florida.
Satellite Coverage
- Nationwide: Available via DirectTV.
Radio Broadcast
- Seattle Region: Tune in to Seattle Sports 710 AM or stream the audio live at seattlesports.com.
- Miami Region: Tune in to 940 WINZ Miami Sports Radio or stream the audio live at iheart.com.
Streaming Options
- ROOT Sports Streaming App: Fans in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska can stream the game live through the ROOT Sports streaming service
- FuboTV: Subscribers in the aforementioned regions can also stream the game live via FuboTV, which carries ROOT Sports Northwest.
- MLB.TV: Out-of-market viewers can watch the game live with an MLB.TV (subscription required).
What’s at Stake?
The Mariners entered Friday tied with the Texas Rangers for first place in the American League West, but that is no longer the case after their loss and Texas’ 2-0 win over the San Francisco Giants.
The hope will be to pull even with the Rangers again, not to mention give fans something to cheer for again. The energy at T-Mobile Park after Gilbert exited early on Friday was fit for a graveyard, and it seemed to trickle down to the field. The Mariners looked conspicuously lifeless as the Marlins basically iced the game with a sixth-run fifth inning.
What’s for sure is that if the Mariners lose on Saturday, their streak of five straight series wins will come to an end.
