Cincinnati Reds: Coors Field will not cure what’s ailing Luis Castillo

Luis Castillo has been in a tailspin for the majority of the 2021 season. The Cincinnati Reds ace is off to a 1-4 start with a 6.42 ERA. Castillo has just 26 strikeouts through his first seven games. Tonight’s game versus the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field will likely not help.

People oftentimes talk about the difficulty of pitching at Coors Field. It’s no secret that the thin air in the Mile High City aids baseballs in leaving the yard, and Castillo’s previous start in Denver was no exception.

Reds pitcher Luis Castillo was hung with the loss in his only start at Coors Field.

Oddly enough, Castillo’s first start against the Rockies in Colorado came against now-teammate Jeff Hoffman. On July 3, 2017, Hoffman and the Rockies got the better of Castillo and the Reds by a score of 5-3.

Castillo lasted 5.2 innings, threw 111 pitches, and was touched up for nine hits and four runs including two balls that cleared the fences. Castillo did, however, rack up eight strikeouts, which is more than the right-hander has seen in a game all season.

Hoffman didn’t fair much better in that start. While the former first-rounder went seven innings, he surrendered two home runs of his own; one off the bat of Scooter Gennett and another courtesy of six-time All-Star Joey Votto.

Charlie Blackmon will no doubt be in the lineup for the Rockies this evening. The Colorado outfielder is 3-for-6 against Castillo with a double and a home run. Trevor Story, on the other hand, is 0-for-3 versus La Piedra, suggesting that the two-time All-Star is due.

The Reds are desperate for Luis Castillo to have a solid outing.

It’s no secret, the Cincinnati Reds are desperately hoping that Luis Castillo finds his mojo and hits his spots tonight at Coors Field. The 27-year-old has been a shell of himself this season, and there may be a need for David Bell to remove him from the rotation.

While some would view that as an extreme measure, the only player who’s started a game for the Reds this season who has a higher is ERA is José De León, who’s now at Triple-A Louisville. Castillo has allowed 45 hits, which is 15 more than the next-closest starting pitcher; Jeff Hoffman.

Perhaps most disappointing, however, is Castillo’s strikeout total. La Piedra is sitting at just 26 through 33.2 innings of work. Only the aforementioned De León has fewer (18), and that was only in 9.1 innings. Something’s gotta give for Luis Castillo, but Coors Field isn’t the best place to turn things around.