Wahoos' Castillo piles up career-best 10 whiffs

Luis Castillo knows starting the season in Double-A was both a challenge and an opportunity.
"I think he realizes this level here separates the men from the boys, as I like to say," Pensacola pitching coach Danny Darwin said. "He knows all about it, that he needs to be able to throw the breaking ball and go to the offspeed [any time] in the count. He's had a couple of rough outings, but he's [still young]."

On Wednesday night, the sixth-ranked Cincinnati prospect tossed a gem. Castillo set a career high with 10 strikeouts without a walk over seven innings in the Blue Wahoos' 2-1 win over the visiting Birmingham Barons. He allowed one run on five hits.
The 24-year-old right-hander, who came to the Reds from the Marlins as part of a January trade for Dan Straily, didn't factor in the decision, but stands 1-2 with a 3.00 ERA through seven starts this year. He was coming off an ugly game at Chattanooga on Friday in which he he gave up five earned runs without making it out of the second inning.
Box score
"Compared to last start, he was able to get all of his pitches in the strike zone. Last start, he was really a two-pitch pitcher, because he was unable to get the slider in the zone," Darwin said. "It doesn't take a rocket scientist of a hitter to figure out. If the pitcher is throwing either a fastball or a changeup, he can sit on a fastball if he gets ahead in the count."

The native of the Dominican Republic features a fastball in the upper 90s that he spots well, and Darwin -- a veteran of 21 big league seasons -- describes Castillo's changeup as "a plus Major League" pitch. A slider was added this spring.
"He set up the slider early and he had a great changeup," the pitching coach said. "He's got good command [with the fastball] down in the zone. We're working some with him on the north and south of it -- I'm trying to get him to elevate it some. He did a great job of that tonight, and he changed his grip on his slider from last time. That's going to be a key for him, if he can keep throwing that the way he did tonight.
"If everything works in order for him, he's going to be a good pitcher. ... He needs to just concentrate on being able to throw that slider consistently for strikes."
Castillo set down the side in order in the first inning and worked around trouble in the second, which ended when Pensacola left fielder Tyler Goeddel nailed Mason Robbins trying to score on a hit by Courtney Hawkins. From the third through the fifth, he cruised, despite hitting Keon Barnum after fanning two to start the fourth.
Birmingham got to him in the sixth. Chris O'Dowd opened the inning with a double, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Eddy Alvarez and scored on a single by No. 23 Chicago prospectJake Peter.
Castillo pushed through that inning and shut down potential trouble the next. Robbins led off with a single and moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt by 17th-ranked White Sox prospect Trey Michalczewski. A two-out fielding error by Wahoos third baseman Josh VanMeter put runners on the corners. Castillo ended it by fanning O'Dowd.
"He still had the ball up in the mid-90s," Darwin said. "He did his job and gave us a chance to win, and that's all you can ask for from a starter."
Castillo threw 69 of 98 pitches for strikes, and righty Geoff Broussard (2-0) allowed a hit while striking out three over two innings for the win.

Alex Blandino, the Reds' No. 24 prospect, belted a walk-off solo homer -- his first of the year -- with one out in the ninth.