Reds fans exhale after Mariners' last-second pitching change opens door in finale

The Seattle Mariners—and the umpires—stole one from the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night. A controversial call during the bottom of the eighth inning killed a potential Reds rally and allowed the Mariners to escape win a 5-3 win.

But Seattle's chances of securing the series win took a massive hit on Wednesday night after the Mariners announced that Emerson Hancock would be taking Bryan Woo's spot in the starting rotation. The Mariners right-hander will enter Thursday's series finale against the Reds with an obscene 81.00 ERA after being on the receiving-end of an absolute beatdown during his only other start this season.

Hancock, the Mariners' first-round pick during the 2020 MLB Draft, faced just nine batters during his 2025 debut against the Detroit Tigers back on March 31. The 25-year-old allowed six runs on seven hits, including a home run, and failed to even get out of the first inning. Hancock was lifted after just 39 pitches.

Mariners' last-second pitching change gives the Reds an opportunity to blow the doors off during series finale

This could be exactly the type of spark that Cincinnati's lineup needs in order to get untracked this season. Sure, there've been a handful of performances that have moved the Reds fanbase to stand up and cheer, but most of the team's success at the outset has been due to the pitching staff. Hunter Greene, Brady Singer, and the Reds bullpen have led the charge so far this season, and helped keep Cincinnati afloat while the offense floundered.

But with Austin Hays and Matt McLain back from the IL, there's no excuse for Cincinnati to continue to occupy the bottom of most offensive categories. The Reds rank among the worst in the National League in batting average (.210), on-base percentage (.284), slugging (.329), doubles (23), and home runs (15). Cincinnati is dead-last in hits (120) this season, trailing even the hapless Pittsburgh Pirates.

McLain is out of the Reds starting lineup on Thursday, but is available to pinch-hit. Reds manager Terry Francona spoke about the need to give McLain and Hays time off after coming back from injury earlier this week. But the Reds shouldn't need to rely on their best bats against a pitcher with the track record of Hancock.

Cincinnati will be looking to win their third consecutive series on Thursday and push their record above .500 for the second time this season. A matchup against Hancock gives the Reds and excellent opportunity to do just that before heading to Baltimore this weekend.

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