Since giving up five earned runs on Opening Day, Paul Skenes has allowed six earned runs over eight starts. The reigning ERA champ has his mark back under 2.00 through 58 innings. Skenes had three career starts of 8+ innings heading into this season. He’s now done it in back-to-back outings.

1. Miller making his return

Mariners right-hander Bryce Miller is slated to start on Wednesday against the Astros. Miller went down with an oblique strain in Spring Training. His absence has allowed Emerson Hancock to emerge as one of the more surprising breakouts of 2026. Miller’s return will force an adjustment to Seattle’s rotation. The initial plan is to roll with a six-man staff. The Mariners don’t have an off-day until May 21, so expanding the rotation will give the other starters extra rest during a tough stretch. From there, the club is considering piggybacking Miller with Luis Castillo, per Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. The veteran has scuffled to a 6.57 ERA through eight starts.

2. Ohtani won’t hit for two days

Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani won’t be in the hitting lineup when he pitches tonight against the Giants. He will also take a seat on Thursday. Manager Dave Roberts is sticking with the plan of Ohtani getting two days off, even after he snapped an 11-game home run drought on Tuesday. “I think that might’ve been something where, you know you get a couple days off of hitting and it might have freed him up,” Roberts told reporters, including Katie Woo of The Athletic. “You just never know. To go back on a pact, a decision that we came upon or I came upon, I don’t like that.” Ohtani entered Tuesday’s matchup stuck in a 4-for-38 rut over his last 10 games.

3. Haase homers twice

Giants catcher Eric Haase took Yoshinobu Yamamoto deep in consecutive at-bats on Tuesday. His second homer was back-to-back with Harrison Bader and gave the Giants a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Haase is part of a catching trio that includes youngsters Jesus Rodriguez and Daniel Susac. He joined the roster when Susac went down with an injury, and he’ll have a chance to stick around as a veteran presence now that Patrick Bailey is in Cleveland. Haase earned a Major League comp from manager Tony Vitello after the game. “I get Jake Taylor vibes from Haase, and those two (young) guys are sponges as far as what they’re looking to learn from their teammates and (nobody’s better to learn from) than the guy who’s actually doing what you’re doing,” Vitello told reporters, including Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images