SEATTLE – Would you have imagined after Tuesday’s blowout loss the Nationals wound now find themselves in position to win this series behind their ace? Probably not. But Wednesday’s 9-0 thumping of the Mariners canceled out Tuesday’s 9-1 loss and sets up the rubber match tonight.
And it’s MacKenzie Gore on the mound looking to win the series for the Nats. The 26-year-old lefty is coming off an outstanding outing against the Giants (one run, two hits, nine strikeouts over six-plus innings) that was marred only by his departure with a nasty welt on his upper left leg from a line drive that struck him way back in the top of the second. Gore is perfectly fine now, and he’ll be trying to expand his lead over Detroit’s Tarik Skubal (currently one behind him) for the major league lead in strikeouts.
Emerson Hancock, the Mariners’ first-round pick in 2020, will oppose Gore. The tall right-hander is 2-2 with a 5.95 ERA in eight starts so far this season, 6-6 with a 5.14 ERA in 23 career starts. He’s not a big strikeout guy; he throws the ball over the plate and tries to induce weak contact. We know the Nats (who have never faced him before) sometimes struggle with these type of pitchers. It’s on them to figure him out and make adjustments along the way.
WASHINGTON NATIONALS at SEATTLE MARINERS
Where: T-Mobile Park
Gametime: 9:40 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 63 degrees, wind 9 mph in from left field
NATIONALS
SS CJ Abrams
LF James Wood
1B Nathaniel Lowe
C Keibert Ruiz
2B Luis García Jr.
DH Josh Bell
CF Robert Hassell III
3B José Tena
RF Daylen Lile
LHP MacKenzie Gore
MARINERS
SS J.P. Crawford
CF Julio Rodríguez
C Cal Raleigh
LF Randy Arozarena
2B Dylan Moore
1B Donovan Solano
DH Jorge Polanco
RF Leody Taveras
3B Ben Williamson
RHP Emerson Hancock
