Battle of opposites as Reds, Castillo take on Vargas, Mets

Luis Castillo and Jason Vargas are two of the 136 pitchers who'd made at least four starts this season entering Monday night. That's about all they have in common.

But the two hurlers with far different results thus far will meet Tuesday night, when Castillo and the Cincinnati Reds face Vargas and the New York Mets in the second of a four-game series at Citi Field in New York.

The Reds earned a 5-4 win in the series opener Monday night, when Jesse Winker hit a tie-breaking homer with two outs in the ninth inning.

Castillo (3-1, 1.23 ERA) will look to maintain the lowest ERA in the majors when he takes the mound against Vargas (1-1, 7.20 ERA) whose mark is the ninth-highest among pitchers with at least four starts.

There's nothing misleading about Castillo's spot atop the leaderboard. He was tied for the National League lead in starts with six and ranked eighth in the NL in innings pitched (36 2/3) entering Monday.

The 26-year-old right-hander has allowed more than one run just once this season. He tossed six innings of scoreless ball in his most recent outing Thursday, when he allowed eight hits and earned the win as the Reds beat the Atlanta Braves, 4-2.

The Reds knew they had a valuable pitcher in Castillo, who earned the Opening Day nod this season. But now his manager and teammates know they're watching an ace every five days.

"All of our starters have done excellent jobs," Reds manager David Bell said last Thursday. Cincinnati's rotation has a 3.40 ERA following Monday's win. "But ever since Opening Day, he has created (a buzz)."

Vargas has created a different kind of stir since rejoining the Mets last season. The southpaw, who pitched briefly for New York in 2005 and 2006, has a 5.77 ERA in 21 games (20 starts) dating back to 2018 That's the third-highest mark among active pitchers who have made at least 20 starts.

The Mets are hoping Vargas can regain some effectiveness once he gets into a regular routine. He had his second start skipped due to off-days and pitched just once in relief -- when he allowed four runs in an inning on April 9 -- between April 2-13, when he was pulled after giving up four runs and recording just one out in the first inning against the Atlanta Braves.

Over his last two starts -- pitched on five and four days rest -- Vargas has allowed just two runs, though he pitched a mere 8 2/3 innings combined against the St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies. He will be pitching on five days' rest Tuesday.

Following Vargas' appearance against the Phillies Wednesday -- he took the loss after giving up one run in 4 2/3 innings as the Mets fell, 6-0 -- New York manager Mickey Callaway said he would be happy with five solid innings every time out from the 36-year-old.

"I'm sure every team will take five good innings from a fifth starter every night, absolutely," Callaway said. "There's no doubt about it. It's your fifth spot, and you know what, if the rest of your pitchers are pitching like they're capable of, that is more than enough out of your fifth slot."

Castillo earned the win in his lone career start against the Mets last May 8, when he allowed two runs over 5 2/3 innings in the Reds' 7-2 victory. Vargas is 1-2 with a 7.98 ERA in four career starts against the Reds.

--Field Level Media