Lineups: How Mariners look as they open vs AL West-leading A’s

The Seattle Mariners have been up and down through the first two months of the 2026 MLB season, but they could put that all behind them if they start a winning streak on Monday night.

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The reason: The Mariners (25-29) are in Sacramento for a three-game series with the AL West-leading Athletics (27-26), who are just 2 1/2 games ahead of Seattle in the standings. If the M’s are able to shake off a weekend series loss in Kansas City by picking up their third sweep of the year, they’d find themselves in front of the A’s before heading home to face Arizona on Friday.

As for how they’re aiming to get off on the right foot in Sacramento, the Mariners have set their lineup for the series opener at 6:40 p.m. Monday night, and it’s about as close to their preferred batting order as they can currently get with Cal Raleigh and Brendan Donovan both on the injured list.

The Mariners have a strong top half of the order, with shortstop J.P. Crawford leading off, followed by center fielder Julio Rodríguez, first baseman Josh Naylor, left fielder Randy Arozarena and right fielder Luke Raley.

The back half of the lineup is second baseman Cole Young, designated hitter Dominic Canzone, catcher Jhonny Pereda, and the standout from Sunday, rookie third baseman Colt Emerson. In his seventh big league game, Emerson went 4 for 4 with three doubles in Kansas City to join Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez as the only players in Mariners history with a four-hit game before their 21st birthday.

All set for the first of three in West Sacramento. pic.twitter.com/ntWNOqJozM

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) May 25, 2026

On the mound for Seattle is Luis Castillo – to start, that is. In the inverse from last Tuesday, Bryce Miller is set to follow Castillo in a piggyback situation. The first attempt against the White Sox had good results until the final inning. Miller allowed just a hit and a walk over 5 1/3 scoreless innings with seven strikeouts, and Castillo threw two scoreless innings of his own before Seattle ran into trouble in the ninth. The Mariners wound up losing that game 2-1 after mustering just a single hit on offense.

The A’s will counter Monday night with starting pitcher Aaron Civale, who has a 3.31 ERA in 10 starts this season.

Leading off for the Athletics will be Carlos Cortes, who is hitting .350 with a .983 OPS in 42 games. A 28 year old in his second MLB season, Cortes went 7 for 15 with a home run and a double when the A’s took two of three games against the Mariners in Seattle last month.

The Mariners will also have to contend with first baseman Nick Kurtz (.937 OPS) and catcher Shea Langeliers (.924 OPS), who are both in the top 10 in MLB in OPS.

Here’s the full A’s lineup for Monday:

Civale on the mound 🤝 pic.twitter.com/y3vmBLR5F1

— Athletics (@Athletics) May 25, 2026

Mariners Radio Network coverage on Seattle Sports begins at 5:30 p.m. with the pregame show.

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