Castillo (1-1) earned the win against the Marlins on Tuesday by giving up only two hits over seven shutout innings. He struck out eight and issued one walk.

EDGE Analysis

The Reds exploded for 14 runs in Tuesday's victory, but Castillo needed minimal run support as he allowed only a single runner to reach second base. The 26-year-old is putting up ace-like numbers to begin the season with only two runs and five hits allowed across 19.2 innings to go along with a 25:8 K:BB. Castillo lines up for a tougher test on the road Monday against the Dodgers.

Castillo (0-1) was handed the loss Wednesday despite allowing one run on one hit across seven innings to the Brewers. He recorded nine strikeouts and walked four.

EDGE Analysis

The Brewers scratched across a run during the second inning with only a walk and a single, as the 26-year-old put a runner in scoring position with a balk. Both offenses were locked down the rest of the afternoon, as Castillo and Milwaukee starter Freddy Peralta combined to allow only three hits while recording 20 strikeouts over 15 innings. Castillo lines up for a favorable matchup next Tuesday against the Marlins.

Castillo is scheduled to start Wednesday against the Brewers, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

EDGE Analysis

Castillo was originally scheduled to take the ball Thursday against Pittsburgh, but the Reds wanted to steer the young right-hander away from a rematch with the Pirates after he faced them in his season debut. As such, the team decided to flip Castillo and Tyler Mahle in the rotation. In his first start this season, the 26-year-old Castillo allowed one run on two hits over 5.2 innings against the Pirates, striking out eight and walking three in a no-decision.

Castillo allowed one run on two hits over 5.2 innings, striking out eight and walking three during a no-decision against the Pirates on Opening Day.

EDGE Analysis

Behind a strong changeup, Castillo looked very sharp and induced 14 swinging strikes. He left after just 91 pitches and arguably should have stayed in for at least one more batter to try and record the final out of the sixth. Jared Hughes came on instead and allowed a two-run single two batters later. One of those runs was charged to Castillo. Owners hoping Castillo would get back to his 2017 form after an inconsistent 2018 have to be pleased with this first performance of the season.

Manager David Bell announced Tuesday that Castillo will start Opening Day against the Pirates, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

EDGE Analysis

Castillo has produced sub-par results in spring training with a 12.46 ERA and 1.29 WHIP over four appearances, but he still receives the Opening Day nod over veterans Sonny Gray and Tanner Roark. The 26-year-old made 31 starts for the Reds in 2018, compiling a 4.30 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 165:49 K:BB across 169.2 innings.

Castillo gave up three runs over two innings against the Mariners on Thursday, allowing three hits (including a homer) and two walks, striking out four.

EDGE Analysis

While the strikeouts are encouraging, this is a second consecutive bad outing for Castillo, and he now has a 17.36 ERA this spring.

Castillo, who allowed two hits and a run in his spring training debut Wednesday, spent the offseason working on improving his slider, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

EDGE Analysis

The Reds want Castillo to improve his third pitch, whether it's his slider or it's throwing his curveball again, after that pitch disappeared from his arsenal last year. Last year Castillo only threw his slider 16.5% of the time, but had a 40.8% Whiff%, according to Baseball Savant. He was throwing it more often in August and September than he was earlier in the year, for what it's worth.

Castillo will be shut down for the rest of the 2018 season due to an innings restriction, Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

EDGE Analysis

Castillo was expected to make his final start of the season Friday, but the Reds have elected to close the book on his year following a superb outing against Miami on Friday. During that performance, he tossed 8.1 scoreless innings with five strikeouts while allowing just five hits and one walk. On the year, he will finish with 169.2 innings pitched -- the exact same total he had in 2017 split between the majors and Triple-A -- with a 4.30 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 8.8 K/9. Anthony DeSclafani will take his place in the rotation Friday while Michael Lorenzen will pitch Saturday.

Castillo struck out five in 8.1 scoreless innings Friday against the Marlins, allowing five hits and one walk in a no-decision.

EDGE Analysis

Castillo was outstanding in Friday's outing, allowing just one extra-base hit while throwing 73 of 102 pitches for strikes. In his last 10 starts, Castillo has thrown six quality starts and three of those have been scoreless outings. On the season the young right-hander has a 4.30 ERA and 1.22 WHIP to go along with a 165:49 K:BB in 169.2 innings. His next scheduled start will be a matchup with the Pirates at home.

Castillo's two-seam fastball was averaging 97.1 mph in Tuesday's start against the Dodgers, and he topped out over 98 mph, MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reports.

EDGE Analysis

This is an encouraging sign for Castillo. His velocity had dipped earlier in the season, to the point where he was averaging 95.4 mph on his two-seamer overall, down two mph from 2017. One consequence of the velocity improvement is that it made his changeup that much more effective. It's been a bumpy season for Castillo, but his post-break numbers are a good reason to be encouraged.