Seattle ran the Nats out of their own yard Friday 10-2, then got punched right back 8-3 on Saturday. Now it's a getaway-day finale with Emerson Hancock (5-2, 2.74) on the bump for the Mariners against Miles Mikolas (1-5, 5.90) for Washington — a pitching mismatch on paper that the market has clearly noticed.
Hancock has quietly turned into one of the most steady arms in this rotation. He's been so consistent that the breakout has basically become background noise, per SI's preview of the series. Mikolas is the other side of that coin: a veteran the Nats signed in February who's been working through a rough first half and hasn't logged a traditional starter's workload in over a month.
The bigger story for Seattle is the M*A*S*H unit they're rolling with. Cal Raleigh (oblique) is finally on a rehab assignment in High-A, J.P. Crawford is still waiting on CT results for his hand, and Brendan Donovan is weeks away after a PRP shot. Randy Arozarena is day-to-day after going 3-for-5 with a homer in his last action against Baltimore, which is the kind of stat line you'd love to see in the lineup card Sunday.
- Day-To-DayRandy Arozarena LF — Arozarena went 3-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored and three RBI in Tuesday's 6-5 extra-inning win over the Orioles.
- Day-To-DayDane Dunning RP — The Mariners signed Dunning to a minor-league contract Thursday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
- Day-To-DayBrock Rodden 2B — no
- 10-Day-ILWill Wilson 3B — Wilson (thumb) has gone 3-for-9 with two RBI and a 1:2 BB:K in his first three rehab games between High-A Everett and Triple-A Tacoma.
- 10-Day-ILJ.P. Crawford SS — Crawford (hand) is still waiting for the results of a CT scan he underwent Tuesday, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILCal Raleigh C — Raleigh (oblique) will begin a rehab assignment with High-A Everett on Sunday, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILBrendan Donovan 3B — Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said Sunday that Donovan will receive a platelet-rich plasma injection for his strained left groin as well as his adductor and is expected to resume baseball activity in 2-to-3 weeks, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILMatt Brash RP — Brash has returned to Seattle to have his right lat strain evaluated further, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayTyler Stuart SP — no
- Day-To-DayTyler Baum DH — Baum has not pitched this year due an undisclosed injury.
- Day-To-DayTravis Sykora SP — Sykora will undergo a UCL reconstruction on his right elbow in two weeks, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
- Day-To-DayJarlin Susana RP — Susana underwent surgery last week to repair a right lat tear, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.
- 15-Day-ILJake Irvin SP — Nationals manager Blake Butera said Monday that Irvin (shoulder) remains shut down from throwing, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILDJ Herz SP — Herz (elbow) struck out four batters over three scoreless innings in his second rehab start Thursday in the rookie-level Florida Complex League.
- 60-Day-ILKen Waldichuk RP — Waldichuk (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery and an internal brace procedure April 21 and is hopeful to return to game action at some point early in the 2027 season, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILTrevor Williams SP — Williams (elbow) threw a simulated game at Nationals Park ahead of Tuesday's loss to the Marlins, MLB.com reports.
Washington's pitching depth has been gutted — DJ Herz, Trevor Williams, Jake Irvin, Josiah Gray, and Ken Waldichuk are all on the shelf, which is exactly why Mikolas keeps getting the ball. Manager Blake Butera is essentially patching innings together every fifth day and hoping the offense, which did show up for 8 on Saturday, carries the load.
First pitch is 1:35 PM ET at Nationals Park. The Mariners are road favorites, the total sits at 9.5, and Hancock vs. Mikolas is the kind of matchup that should print on paper — the question is whether the Nationals bats can keep doing what they did in Game 2 against a guy who's been giving up under 3 a start.