Castillo solid as a Rock for Wilmington

Cristian Castillo may not throw 96-mph fastballs like many of today's starting pitchers. But that's why Class A Advanced Wilmington pitching coach Charlie Corbell enjoys watching his protégé do his thing on the mound.
Castillo allowed three hits over a season-high eight innings as the Blue Rocks posted their second consecutive shutout with an 8-0 win over Salem at Frawley Stadium. 

The 22-year-old struck out four and walked one in Wilmington's eighth shutout of the year, one behind Myrtle Beach for the Carolina League lead. The gem came one day after Royals No. 10 prospect  A.J. Puckettblanked Lynchburg for 6 1/3 innings in a 9-0 win. Castillo's third scoreless effort in his last six starts lowered his ERA to 2.80, the fifth-lowest mark on the circuit.
Gameday box score
"Cristian does an outstanding job of never really pressing. He just doesn't panic and has confidence in his abilities to make pitches and not make himself into a corner," Corbell said. "[Salem] is one of the better-hitting teams in the league, so it was impressive.
"He has a strong ability to pace the game with quality and work both sides of the plate with a strong four-pitch mix. Being able to stay within his delivery and on line has helped him to get deep into most of his starts while staying efficient at the same time."
Given a 5-0 lead in the second inning, Castillo (4-3) worked around Mike Meyers' two-out triple in the third and a leadoff double by Bryan Hudson in the sixth, but otherwise faced minimal threats. Two double plays over the first five innings helped the left-hander go at least six frames for the sixth time in 13 starts. The Monterrey, Mexico native retired the last nine batters following Hudson's two-bagger.
"The main thing with Cristian is his confidence and the ability to command all four of his pitches," the Blue Rocks pitching coach said. "He has a good feel for all of his pitches. He might be down, 2-1, in the count with a good hitter up there and paint an inside fastball on him. The next time, he might go to the changeup.
"We tell him every day to make sure he pitches his game and he does a great job of that. We're always trying to coach our pitchers to stay within themselves and not be someone they're not. He's the epitome of that. He's the same individual no matter what. Cristian works hard and is a well-conditioned kid. It's a real treat to watch him work."
Travis Maezes hit a three-run homer and plated a career-high five while falling a triple shy of the cycle, and Chris DeVito was a homer short of the feat for the Blue Rocks.
Jacob Bodner struck out two in a perfect ninth to extend the pitching staff's scoreless streak to 24 innings. Wilmington has not let a runner cross the plate since the first inning of the nightcap of Tuesday's doubleheader against Lynchburg.
"There's competition amongst teammates, across the diamond and across the league," Corbell said of his pitchers trying to outdo each other. "It's the survival of the fittest. The Minors are a vicious animal and being able to persevere, you need to do your job day in and day out. We've got a very good pitching staff here. They're a great group of kids and it's a treat to work with them."
Roniel Raudes (2-3), Boston's No. 5 prospect,  allowed five runs -- four earned -- on a season-high nine hits in 4 1/3 innings for Salem. He struck out four and walked three.