If it truly is the end for the Mariners’ piggyback, at least for now, it went out with a bang. Bryce Miller and Luis Castillo paired up for the third time this season in the Mariners’ series finale against the D-backs, and both did their jobs yet again -- this time for 10 innings -- before Victor Robles’ walk-off infield single gave Seattle a 3-2 win on Sunday at T-Mobile Park. Manager Dan Wilson has used the word “equitable” to describe what, at times, has been a tenuous setup in the rotation. He used it again on Sunday morning when asked about the decision to go back to Miller as the starter for Round 3. How’s this for equitable? Miller and Castillo each threw five innings on Sunday. Both got through their five frames on exactly 71 pitches. “Pretty ironic, in some ways,” Wilson said. “That’s kinda cool,” was Miller’s take. “Even split.” The different nature of the setup has led to some unusual sights, mostly for Castillo. On Sunday, there was yet another one when the 10-year veteran -- who became the eighth pitcher since 1900 to make his first career relief appearance after at least 250 starts in the first piggyback game -- took the hill for his fifth frame in the 10th inning and had to deal with the automatic runner for the first time. “If you don’t have experience with it, it does make you a little nervous,” Castillo said through interpreter Freddy Llanos. “But the important thing for me was going out there and just battling against every battle I faced. The pitching coach told me, ‘This is your game, go finish it.’” Finish it, Castillo did -- despite a sacrifice bunt immediately moving the potential go-ahead run to third base and a walk putting runners on the corners. Arizona pinch-hit Adrian Del Castillo for the left-on-right matchup, but “La Piedra” struck him out to win a nine-pitch battle, then got Ketel Marte to ground out to end the threat. “To go into the extra inning there, take the ball again and do what he had to do, he made some really good pitches in that inning,” Wilson said. “Just executed tremendously.”
