Steady Starlin Castro adds another milestone to his MLB career
Starlin Castro ripped a 93 mph fastball from Atlanta Braves pitcher Mike Soroka to center field to lead off the second inning on Friday with a double.
As the Miami Marlins second baseman finished his trot to second base, he had the chance to soak in a milestone moment.
That double, the Marlins’ first hit of the night, was hit No. 1,500 in Castro’s Major League Baseball career, one that started in 2010 and has seen him make it to four All-Star games and lead the National League in hits in 2011.
That hit, along with Castro’s RBI single in the ninth, were a few of the lone highlights of the Marlins’ 7-1 loss to the Braves on Friday to open a nine-game homestand.
“It would have been more fun if we won the game,” Castro said. “When I got to the big leagues for the first time, I didn’t know if I’d get 1,000 hits. Now, I get 1,500. I feel pretty good for me and my family.”
It’s also the latest sign of his steadiness at the plate following a minor slump a month ago. Ever since he broke out of a seven-game hitless streak on May 7, Castro has hits in 22 of the Marlins’ last 27 games with five doubles, a triple, a home run and 16 RBI in that span.
On the season, Castro is hitting .234 after posting a .278 average in 2018 — his first year with the Marlins after being sent over as part of the Giancarlo Stanton trade. The dip in batting average comes despite the fact that Castro has dropped his strike out rate by nearly five percentage points from last year. In 2018, Castro struck out 19.1 percent of the time (124 strikeouts in 647 plate appearances). Heading into Saturday, Castro has struck out just 14 percent of the time this season (36 in 257 plate appearances).
“Starlin always looks good to me,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “He’s consistent with his routines. He always looks the same. You never see a big difference in his set up or anything else. And I think he’s hit the ball probably better this year than last year to be honest with you. Honestly, he’s been unlucky. We say it with guys like that. They’ve always hit. They’re going to hit. It’s just a matter of how it works out.”
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