Angels vs. Mariners Series Preview: Pitching Matchups and How to Watch the Games

Welcome home, Angels fans. The 2026 season officially starts at the Big A tonight against AL West rival Seattle. It is always great to see baseball on TV but there is nothing like walking into your home stadium to watch your favorite team play. And Angels fans get to do that tonight.

Here's all you need to know as the Angels get ready to for their home opener.

Friday: 6:38 PM on Angels.TV and FanDuel Sports West

Reid Detmers (LAA) vs. Bryan Woo (SEA)

Detmers is attempting to re-establish himself as a starter after a successful run in the bullpen last season. His first start in Houston did not go great. He was charged with 3 earned runs in 4.2 innings and gave up 6 hits. On the plus side, he did record 9 strikeouts.

Woo is a burgeoning ace in Seattle. The righty went 6 innings and gave up 1 run in his 2026 debut. Woo matched Detmers with 9 K's of his own.

This will be a tough one for the Angels to win. Their best bet is to get back to the plate approaches they had against Houston, drive up Woo's pitch count, and get him out of there early.

Saturday: 6:38 PM on Angels.TV and FanDuel Sports West

Jack Kochanowicz (LAA) vs. Emerson Hancock (SEA)

Kochanowicz had a really solid Cactus League run and earned his roster spot. He likely makes the Opening Day rotation even if Grayson Rodriguez is healthy, but he struggled badly in his season debut. The defense behind him also hurt him. The Angels need him to perform better this time around if they want a chance to win this game.

Emerson Hancocko was Seattle's first round pick in 2020 and has the stuff to be a solid piece of a top tier rotation. He's yet to top 90 innings in a season at the MLB level but was also stellar in his debutk throwing 6 shutout innings with 9 K's.

Sunday: 1:07 PM on Angels.TV and FanDuel Sports West

Ryan Johnson (LAA) vs. Luis Castillo (SEA)

Ryan Johnson has some nasty pitches that move a ton. When he's on that's a good thing but when his command is a little off he runs up high pitch counts, falls behind, and gets shelled. That and a bad defensive performance sum up his bad first outing in Houston. He looks to get back on track in this one.

Luis Castillo is still a frontline pitcher. In 2025 he hurled 180.2 innings with a 3.54 ERA. In his 2026 debut he threw 6 scoreless frames with 7 strikeouts.

On paper this is a complete mismatch, but baseball is a funny game. Johnson has a lot of upside and the Angels have to really hope he has a good day against a really good Mariners team.

Series Prediction:

Seattle is a legitimate favorite in every game of this season. Their starting rotation is arguably the best in all of baseball and their team defense is really good. Add in a solid lineup and you have the AL West favorites.

This series should be a sweep for Seattle but somehow the Angels tend to play their division rivals pretty tough so I'll say they find a way to steal one of these games. No telling which one, but that is likely the best case scenario here. I'll go on a limb and say Detmers has a good game.