CINCINNATI --
“We're not trying to put too much pressure on ourselves. We've already done that,” catcher
That one run was all Castillo would need. Not since his first start of 2020 -- July 25 vs. Detroit -- had he reached double-digit strikeouts. His changeup was responsible for six K’s -- all swings and misses. His sinker averaged 97.8 mph and his four-seam fastball averaged 97.6 mph, according to Statcast.\n\n“I've been able to mix my pitches even better,” Castillo said. “Wherever I throw my fastball is where I'm throwing my changeup as well, so that's really confusing the batters a lot. That's what's really been working for me these past couple starts.”\n\nThat proved to be the case on Wednesday for Castillo as he threw his four-seamer, sinker and changeup in nearly equal totals among his 91 pitches. He also threw 14 sliders, including three in a row to strike out Kevin Newman in the fifth inning.
“I couldn’t imagine facing him from the right side of the plate,” Pirates switching-hitting first baseman Josh Bell said. “You know, his fastball has so much zip. His fastball is 98-99, so you have to honor it, and his changeup pops out looking the exact same. So he’s definitely one of the harder guys in the league to barrel up consistently. But we did. We just didn’t hit it in the right places at the right time.\"\n\nCastillo and Casali have been particularly in sync with each other. In five starts together, Castillo has a 1.32 ERA, compared to a 5.33 ERA when