WASHINGTON (Interstat) — Miles Mikolas pitched seven innings of three-hit shutout ball, striking out three, as the Washington Nationals defeated the Seattle Mariners 10-1 on Sunday afternoon at Nationals Park. Mikolas (2-5) allowed no earned runs and walked none in front of an announced crowd of 27,264. The game lasted 2 hours, 14 minutes. Emerson Hancock (5-3) took the loss for Seattle. The Mariners grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning on Josh Naylor’s double that scored Cole Young, aided by a center-field error. Washington answered in the bottom half when James Wood hit his 20th home run. The Nationals broke the game open in the fourth, scoring five runs. Keibert Ruiz singled in a run, Daylen Lile doubled in another, Nasim Nuñez added a two-run single and Jorbit Vivas drove in a run on a fielder’s choice. Ruiz homered in the seventh, and Washington added three more in the eighth, including an RBI double by Jacob Young and a run-scoring double by Wood. Ruiz finished 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs. Wood also went 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs. Seattle managed five hits. The Nationals improved to 37-35, while the Mariners fell to 37-36.

WASHINGTON (Interstat) — Miles Mikolas pitched seven innings of three-hit shutout ball and the Washington Nationals erupted for five runs in the fourth inning to beat the Seattle Mariners 10-1 on Sunday afternoon at Nationals Park in front of 27,264 fans in a game that lasted 2 hours, 14 minutes. The Nationals evened the three-game series at a win apiece after losing Friday 10-2 and winning Saturday 8-3. Washington improved to 37-35, while Seattle fell to 37-36. Mikolas earned his second win against five losses, striking out three without allowing an earned run. Emerson Hancock took the loss for Seattle, dropping to 5-3. The game started with both teams scoring a run in the first inning. Seattle struck first when Cole Young singled on a soft grounder to pitcher PJ Poulin. Julio Rodríguez flew out, but Josh Naylor doubled sharply to center field. Center fielder Jacob Young committed a fielding error, allowing Cole Young to score from first. Naylor advanced to third on a groundout but was left stranded when Dominic Canzone flew out. Washington answered immediately in the bottom of the first. James Wood launched his 20th home run of the season to right-center field, tying the game at 1-1. Luis García Jr. singled, but the rally ended when Dylan Crews grounded into a double play and CJ Abrams popped out. After a quiet second and third inning, the Nationals broke the game open in the fourth. With one out, Dylan Crews doubled to left field. CJ Abrams singled sharply to center, moving Crews to third. Keibert Ruiz then singled to left, scoring Crews and sending Abrams to second. Daylen Lile doubled to right, plating Abrams and moving Ruiz to third. Nasim Nuñez singled to center, scoring Ruiz and Lile and putting Washington ahead 5-1. Jorbit Vivas reached on a fielder’s choice that scored Nuñez, making it 6-1. Jacob Young flew out, and James Wood singled, but Luis García Jr. grounded into a forceout to end the inning with the Nationals holding a 6-1 lead. The five-run outburst chased Hancock from the game. He had allowed six earned runs on seven hits over four innings, striking out one and walking none. Washington added a run in the seventh when Keibert Ruiz hit his sixth home run of the season to right-center field off reliever Michael Rucker. The Nationals scored three more in the eighth. Jorbit Vivas walked, and Jacob Young doubled to left, scoring Vivas. James Wood doubled to center, scoring Young. After a strikeout and a groundout, Dylan Crews grounded out to shortstop, but James Wood scored on the play to make it 10-1. Mikolas was in command throughout. He allowed only three hits, all in the first three innings, and did not walk a batter. He retired 12 of the final 13 batters he faced. His start came on the heels of a no-decision against San Francisco on June 8, when he allowed no earned runs over 4 2/3 innings, and a loss to Miami on June 2, when he gave up six earned runs in six innings. Clayton Beeter pitched a perfect eighth inning with two strikeouts, and PJ Poulin allowed one earned run on two hits in the ninth to close out the win. James Wood finished 3 for 4 with a home run, a double and two RBIs. Keibert Ruiz also went 3 for 4 with a homer and two RBIs. Jacob Young had two hits, including a double, and drove in a run. For Seattle, the only bright spots were Cole Young’s first-inning single, Josh Naylor’s RBI double, Colt Emerson’s third-inning single, Dominic Canzone’s seventh-inning single and Victor Robles’ fourth-inning single. The Mariners managed only five hits total and did not score after the first inning. Seattle’s bullpen showed flashes of effectiveness. Nick Davila struck out two in a perfect sixth inning. José A. Ferrer struck out one in a scoreless seventh. Alex Hoppe allowed one earned run on one hit in the eighth with a strikeout, and Michael Rucker gave up one earned run on one hit in the seventh with two strikeouts. The Mariners entered the series having split a six-game road trip against Baltimore and Detroit, winning three of six. Washington had lost two of three in San Francisco before splitting the first two games of this series. Seattle returns home Tuesday to begin a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles. The Nationals welcome the Kansas City Royals on Monday for a three-game set. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Seattle 5, Washington 4. Interstat’s ELO system gave Seattle a 57.00 percent probability to win. The Mariners were installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 1.5. The total of 11 runs went under the over-under line of 9.5.

AP Sports Preview WASHINGTON (Interstat) — The Seattle Mariners and Washington Nationals conclude their three-game series Sunday afternoon at Nationals Park, with first pitch scheduled for 1:35 p.m. EDT under cloudy skies and 88-degree heat. Seattle (37-35) sends right-hander Emerson Hancock (5-2, 3.91 ERA) to the mound after the club announced a probable pitching change from the previously listed Miles Mikolas (1-5). Hancock has won his past two decisions, including 5 2/3 shutout innings against Detroit on June 7. Washington (36-35) counters with right-hander Cade Cavalli, who earned the win Saturday against these same Mariners, allowing three runs over five innings in an 8-3 victory. The series is tied 1-1 after the Nationals evened things Saturday. Washington slugged three home runs, including a solo shot from first baseman Luis García Jr., who also doubled and drove in two. Seattle shortstop Colt Emerson homered and drove in two in a losing effort. Sunday’s matchup features two teams separated by a half-game in the standings, both eyeing wild-card positioning. The Mariners have dropped six of their past 10, while the Nationals have won five of their last 10. Seattle’s Luis Castillo, an All-Star right-hander, is not scheduled to start but remains a key arm out of the bullpen after he logged 5 2/3 innings Saturday, allowing two earned runs. He has posted a 2.31 ERA over his past three outings. Washington’s Cavalli (no decision record available) has been inconsistent but dominant at times, striking out nine over seven innings in a no-decision against the New York Mets on May 21. He allowed four runs in five innings at Arizona on June 7 before rebounding Saturday. The Interstat game simulator projects a 5-4 Seattle victory. The Mariners are installed as -1.5 favorites on the run line, with an over/under of 9.5 total runs. Following Sunday’s contest, Seattle returns home to host Baltimore for a four-game series starting Tuesday. Washington welcomes Kansas City for a three-game set Monday.