CHICAGO –– With the bases loaded and two outs in the sixth inning, Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Luis Castillo briefly couldn’t hear the PitchCom speaker in his hat because the crowd at Wrigley Field was cheering so loudly.
It put even more pressure on Castillo, who was one pitch away from completing six shutout innings. Even more pressure on a pitcher who was about to throw his career-high 123rd pitch.
On his final pitch of the night, Castillo went with his fastball. And he got the out, showing some of the traits that have made him one of the Reds’ best players over the last six years.
On Tuesday, as the Reds beat the Chicago Cubs, 5-3, Castillo pitched six shutout innings and got a fly out to left field on his 123rd pitch. He struck out 11 batters, all of them on his fastball. And Castillo showed the skill set that’s going to put him at the center of the trade deadline conversation over the next month.
"Obviously we got into a little bit of a rough patch in the sixth, but I’ve had enough experience through my entire career that I was able to get through it," Castillo said via interpreter Jorge Merlos. "I controlled my emotions, controlled the inning and got out of it."
He’s entering what could be his final month with the Reds’ organization that dealt for him when he was an unheralded prospect in 2017. Since then, Castillo has become an All-Star, impressed in the postseason and delivered a caliber of start that few pitchers across MLB can match.
Castillo’s response to pressure on Tuesday was yet another showcase of what makes him an ace. And he did it on a day when his best pitch wasn’t even working that well.
His changeup was his fourth-most used pitch versus the Cubs, and his command wasn’t at its best as he worked a high pitch count. But that didn’t matter because Castillo’s fastball was as effective as it gets.
Castillo’s fastball can hit 100 mph and plays perfectly off of his sinker and his changeup. Castillo kept his fastball up in the strike zone on Tuesday, and the Cubs never caught up to it.
"I feel like we make decisions all along over the years where you try to hold them back and not allow them to throw too many pitches or too many innings in games that may not matter," Reds manager David Bell said. "If you can, you try to conserve for nights like this to be able to let him go and be able to let him pitch. I knew he was going to get out of it."
The success Castillo had versus Chicago was a reminder of what the Reds are looking to accomplish in the long term. They’re hoping to find or develop the next Castillo as they turn the page to a younger core of starting pitchers.
As the Reds start preparing for what's next, Castillo, 29, is aware of the possibility he could be dealt for prospects in July.
"This sport is a business obviously," Castillo said. "There’s only so much I can control. I’ve got to keep a clear mind and focus on the job at hand. It’s not going to stop me from doing my job out there. Whatever happens happens. If something happens, OK. Just roll with it."
Even for pitchers like Hunter Greene and Graham Ashcraft, who have already shown standout flashes in MLB, the goal is nights like Castillo’s start on Tuesday. Castillo wasn’t at his best, but the Cubs still couldn’t score against him.
In the sixth inning, Castillo found a way to reach back and throw 97.2 mph on his 123rd pitch. It was the type of performance that could foreshadow a dominant playoff start for another team in October.
"I felt like I was in total control right there," Castillo said. "If you lose focus right there, you’re going to lose that part of the game."
Reds third baseman Brandon Drury and designated hitter Donovan Solano both hit RBI doubles in the sixth, which gave Castillo a 2-0 lead to work with. One inning later, after Castillo got his dramatic final out, second baseman Jonathan India crushed a 421-foot homer to straight-away center field that gave the Reds a big enough lead to survive a seventh-inning comeback by the Cubs.
After the Reds' 5-3 win, Castillo used a different message to address trade rumors than he had previously. In March, Castillo said he wasn't worried about trade rumors, and he was focused on moving forward and preparing for the regular season.
On Tuesday, Castillo spoke about the reality of being a No. 1 starting pitcher on the trade market.
"I see the rumors every day, the teams that are interested in me," Castillo said. "I put that out of my mind. I’m still trying to go out there and give it my best. I have all of the confidence in God that he’s going to give me the opportunity to play wherever we need to be. If it’s here, it’s here. I know that I can contribute in any way I can on whatever team I’m on."
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