Luis Castillo Waits Until Next Year

The Reds have taken the ball out of Luis Castillo's hands after he pitched one of his best games of the season in Miami last weekend.

Castillo pitched 8 1/3 innings of shutout baseball, allowing five hits and a walk. in the Reds' 1-0 10-inning loss to the Marlins.

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The 25-year old finished with 10-13 record and his lowest ERA at any point of the season at 4.30. He made 31 starts and pitched 169 2/3 innings, the same total that he pitched last season between Pensacola and Cincinnati.

Manager Jim Riggleman and his staff scratched him from his Satruday start.  Michael Lorenzen will move up a day to Saturday and if Sal Romano is not needed out of the bullpen, he will pitch the final game on Sunday against the Pirates.

"We are going to shut him down right there," Riggleman said.  "He has 170 innings We will let him finish on the last start he had.  Let him go into the off season.  Part of it is letting him finish on a good note but part of it is that in September we can take advantage of the number of bodies we have here. We certainly want to go out and win the ballgame that day.  It has been discussed but we made that decision before Harvey's start."

Castillo lost four of his first five decisions with a 7.01 ERA but finished by winning three of his last four decisions with a 1.09 ERA in September.

"I think it was a good season. I feel really good.  Obviously, I want to go out there and pitch," Castillo said through interpreter Jullio Murillo.  "I learned a lot. I will try to get ready for the next season.  The key for me is to succeed is to believe.  I have to trust myself.  I have to trust my stuff.  My preparation for next year will be more mental than physical.  I want to be 100 percent mentally prepared, to know what it takes."

"I feel good," Castillo said.  "I think I developed some arm strength this year."

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