The Seattle Mariners (37-38) will be going for their second consecutive home win when they face the Washington Nationals (29-47) in the first game of their three-game interleague series on Monday night.
Luis Castillo, 4-6, 2.89 ERA, will get the start for the Mariners. The Nationals will counter with Trevor Williams, 4-4, 4.14 ERA.
Seattle and Washington split their last 10 meetings.
**This preview was written before Sunday’s game was played**
The Nationals snapped their two-game losing streak with a win in the second game of their series against the Padres. They will try to keep the momentum going with a win over the Mariners, which will give them their third win in their last five road games.
Washington is averaging 4.08 runs per game. Their .261 batting average is sixth in the league. Their .318 on base percentage is 18th, while their .394 slugging percentage is 22nd.
Lane Thomas has been the most consistent batter for the Nationals. He leads the team with a .296 batting average, 13 home runs, and 38 RBI.
Washington’s pitching hasn’t been good, with the team giving up 4.99 runs per game. Opponents have a .268 batting average against the Nationals, which is 27th in the league. Their 4.68 ERA is 26th, while their 1.47 WHIP is 28th .
In his last start, Williams gave up five hits and no runs in six innings, leading to a 3-0 win over St. Louis. They will need a similar effort from him if they want to win this game.