Technically, there’s a miniscule chance the Mariners could sneak into the playoffs. They’d need to win out and both the Rangers and Astros would have to lose out. That would give all three teams a 78-84 record and Seattle would take the division via a three-way tiebreaker. FanGraphs thinks the chances of that happening are … 0.0%. Really, this weekend is all about sending off Rick Rizzs into retirement. (If you’re watching these final four games on Mariners.TV or MLB.TV, make sure you’re switching
your audio feed to the radio broadcast!) We never got a chance to say goodbye to Dave — he was here one season and then he was gone the next — so cherish this opportunity to say thank you and godspeed to Rick. The sound of our summer will be different next year.
What can I say about the Angels that John didn’t already say last week when the Mariners faced them in Anaheim? This organization is in a weird spot right now. They’re on the verge of losing 100 games for the first time in franchise history but the team also just got out from under former owner Arte Moreno. This is the worst the team has ever played, yet it might be the most optimistic the fan base has been in a long, long time.
From a previous series preview:
Anaheim has a couple familiar faces up top in Zach Neto and Mike Trout, but not many. They’ve taken the back half of the year to wisely audition several young players, finding some promise in folks like Wade Meckler but still waiting on more elsewhere. Moises Ballesteros was a highly regarded prospect with the Cubs but has not found his swing yet since coming over in return for reliever Ryan Zeferjahn. There’s a few post-hype hopes here as well in Josh Lowe and Jose Siri, but hope has been their predominant currency.
Probable Pitchers
Updated Stuff+ Explainer
- Stuff+ scores for Mariners starters
At one point a few years ago, Grayson Rodriguez was considered the best pitching prospect in baseball. Unfortunately, a variety of injuries have prevented him from making good on those lofty expectations. He was traded from Baltimore to the Angels this past offseason — straight up for Taylor Ward — and returned from a major shoulder injury in May. He definitely hasn’t looked as sharp in his first major league action since 2024, though he’s slowly improved as the season has gone on. The good news is that his fastball velocity is still intact, but his command has really slipped and he’s just not generating as many swings and misses with his secondary pitches this year.
From a previous series preview:
Reid Detmers has thrived in his return to the rotation this year, accumulating a career-high 4.4 fWAR with career-best marks in ERA and FIP. His strikeout rate is right in line with his career norms but the big reason he’s taken a big step forward is because he’s cut his walk rate by nearly three points and has dramatically reduced the amount of hard contact he has allowed.
The Mariners managed to score three runs off Detmers last week and he struggled in his next outing against the Twins over the weekend.
From a previous series preview:
Ryan Johnson is a perfect encapsulation of everything wrong with the Angels current player development philosophy. He was drafted in the second round in 2024 after dominating in college ball at Dallas Baptist. He made the Opening Day roster in 2025 as a reliever, skipping the minor leagues entirely. After a month and a half and a 7.36 ERA, the Angels pulled the plug and sent him to High-A to continue his development as a starter. He made 12 starts in the minors and looked really good. Fast forward a year and Johnson had a solid, but not outstanding, spring training and Los Angeles opted to start the season with Johnson on the big league roster again. After allowing six runs in his first start of the year, the Angels sent him back to the minors for a few months before recalling him for good in mid June. It’s really too bad because Johnson has a really intriguing profile, and obviously has some raw talent, but the games the Angels have played with his development pathway have really hurt his ability to grow.
Johnson held the Mariners to just a single run in six innings last week, striking out seven against zero walks.
From a previous series preview:
Yusei Kikuchi missed nearly four months of the season with a shoulder injury. He returned to the majors towards the end of August and resumed his brand of effectively wild pitching. After a slight dip in velocity last year, his heater is back to averaging close to 96 mph. It’s the eighth hardest four-seamer from the left side among all starting pitchers this year. He continues to mix in a hard slider and a curveball as his primary secondary pitches, but he’s replaced his changeup with a true splitter and added a cutter this season. The split has been an excellent pitch but the cutter has been hit pretty hard.
Kikuchi did not have his best stuff against the Mariners last week. He allowed five runs on five hits and five walks in just 4.1 innings.
The Big Picture:
Like I said above, the Mariners can sneak into the postseason if they win out and the Astros and Rangers both lose out. That means we’re rooting for the A’s against Houston and the Twins against Texas.
