Kade Anderson Gets Mariners Stay of Execution, but M’s Add to Injury Pile
Had the season gone according to plan, the Mariners’ 2-0 win on Sunday against the Rockies would have been utterly unremarkable in the grand scheme of things, another notch in the belt of a team running away with the division.
As things stood in the real 2026, the middle third of that sentence was true. But things did not go according to plan; the belt was about 15 to 20 proverbial notches shy of where the M’s expected to be by the end of the penultimate week of the season. All that the win did, in the greater sense, was stay the Mariners’ execution by a couple of days.
In the nearer view, the game had a high note in Kade Anderson’s seven shutout innings and a low in Andrés Muñoz’ early injury-related exit.
Muñoz has dealt with right knee issues in the past, and he reached down to that area after multiple pitches in the bottom of the ninth as he fought for the save. He is going to receive imaging when the M’s return to Seattle on Monday.
As for the day’s high note, the performance on the mound for the first seven innings was a sound distraction from the general melancholy of their experience this year.
“I thought Kade (Anderson) buried his off-speed stuff down very, very well, and they took advantage of that team being aggressive, and he got a lot of quick outs which allowed him to get deep,” said skipper Dan Wilson. “I just thought the whole game plan from beginning to end, and the way Kade executed it, was phenomenal.”
Kade Anderson excelled for seven scoreless innings, earning his second MLB win.
The first few big league starts for Anderson have been something of a rocky road for the No. 3 pick of the 2025 MLB draft. Despite clearly having the building blocks - killer secondaries, lots of strikes, a spotless minor league resume - to be a lockdown starter, he had a 5.33 ERA, 4.44 FIP, and 1.421 WHIP over his first five outings with the Mariners.
Instant Takeaways: Heroic Effort From Storm’s Johnson, Malonga Falls Flat vs. Aces
Flau’jae Johnson and Dominique Malonga combined for 54 points, but it was still far from enough in a 98-77 loss to the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday, Sept. 20, at Michelob Ultra Arena.
The Storm’s entire offense was dependent on Malonga and Johnson, with no other players scoring more than six points. Seattle (8-35) lost its fourth straight game and third since the FIBA break, with only one game left to play in the 2026 season.
Las Vegas (29-13) did what it has done all season, and the trio of A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray combined to score 68 points. The Aces had more of a supporting cast and much stronger defense that continuously disrupted the majority of the Storm’s offense.
Kraken Win Second Preseason Game with Unproven Roster, Edge Flames 4-2 at Climate Pledge
Sunday night’s Seattle Kraken preseason game was closer to the Coachella Valley Firebirds versus the Calgary Wranglers than it was to Kraken versus the Calgary Flames. Truthfully, we learned more about the Seattle Kraken projected roster from who was not in the lineup.
But nonetheless, the Kraken still handled business with a 4-2 win at Climate Pledge Arena.
Ty Nelson scored a second preseason goal and continued his strong camp. As of now, he’s the main young defenseman making a bid for a roster spot for the Kraken. Nelson led defensemen in ice time tonight and, at 5-on-5, Seattle outshot Calgary 18-9 with Nelson on the ice. Per Natural Stattrick, Nelson was a positive in every metric they track.
“He certainly has a little bit of a knack for joining offensively, but [he has] a really good head on his shoulders defensively,” head coach Lane Lambert said of Nelson. “And he skates well, so he can close quickly. That’s important to be able to do in this league, because if you don’t and you’re a step behind, the puck ends up in the back of your net.”
Washington State Rolls Past Duquesne 48-7 for First Win of Kirby Moore Era
Washington State finally got the performance it had been looking for. After struggling to find any consistency during the first two games of the season, the Cougars broke out in the second half Saturday afternoon, scoring 41 unanswered points on their way to a 48-7 win over Duquesne at Gesa Field.
The victory gave Washington State its first win of the season and the first career victory for head coach Kirby Moore. The Cougars improved to 1-2 on the season after opening the year with tough losses to Washington and Kansas State.
Washington State led just 14-7 at halftime with the Dukes giving them a better than anticipated fight early, but the Cougars completely took control after the break. WSU scored touchdowns on its first three possessions of the second half before adding two more scores in the fourth quarter, blowing the contest wide open in the final 30 minutes.
The Cougars finished with 26 first downs and 480 total yards, including 316 rushing yards, and had multiple 100 yard rushers.
Here are four takeaways from the Cougs first win of 2026:
1. Caden Pinnick put together his best performance of the season after struggling through the first two games.
Pinnick, a redshirt sophomore, completed 17 of 22 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns while adding 76 rushing yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. He also distributed the ball to seven different receivers, making significant improvements as the game wore on.
After a rough start that included a botched snap and an interception, Pinnick settled down and helped Washington State move the ball consistently against Duquesne. His 19-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter gave the Cougars a 14-7 lead heading into halftime, building momentum needed to break things open after the break.
Washington Lands Top-100 Guard Ze'Ni Patterson to Open 2027 Class
The Washington Huskies’ women’s basketball program landed their first recruit of the 2027 class. Ze'Ni Patterson, a guard prospect out of San Jose, California, is the No. 86-ranked player in her class, according to ESPN’s rankings.
Head coach Tina Langley secured Patterson’s commitment over Michigan State, TCU, Harvard and Cal, which rounded out her top five along with Washington.
This marks the seventh straight year Langley has earned a commitment from a top-100 recruit. With star guard Sayvia Sellers likely heading to the WNBA after this season, Patterson should have an opportunity to come in and play meaningful minutes right away.
Rapid Reaction: Drew Lock, Jaxon Smith-Njigba Pull Off Hat Trick in Seahawks 31-7 Win vs. Cardinals
Turning a halftime tie into a laugher on the road, Drew Lock and Jaxon Smith-Njigba combined for three touchdown connections and A.J. Barner added a late score on a “Barn Yard” sneak as the Seattle Seahawks blew out the Arizona Cardinals 31-7 behind 24 unanswered points.
Playing a near-perfect game, Lock completed 19 out of 26 passes for 235 yards and three scores with no turnovers, while Emanuel Wilson bludgeoned Arizona’s defense in the second half to finish with 92 rushing yards to pace Seattle’s ground game. Leading the charge defensively, Julian Love intercepted Jacoby Brissett and Jarran Reed and Leonard Williams each recorded sacks as the visitors held the Cardinals to 151 total yards of offense on the afternoon.
Diving into a satisfying NFC West beatdown for Seattle, here are five takeaways from State Farm Stadium:
1. Playing with growing confidence, Lock continues to play clean football and wisely lean on his best weapon.
Building off a steady outing in relief of Sam Darnold in his first start in two years, Lock could not have had a more perfect start on Sunday afternoon, gifted a busted coverage on the back end by Arizona’s defense just two plays into the opening drive. Baited by a double move from Smith-Njigba on the outside, safety Budda Baker took a couple steps upfield, allowing the superstar to rocket past him with no additional support in coverage, making for the easiest 82-yard touchdown imaginable to open the scoring. While the Seahawks didn’t score again in the first half, it wasn’t on the quarterback, who threw for 163 yards without any turnovers while completing nine out of 14 attempts, and he continued to sling the pigskin coming out of the locker room.
Once again relying on Smith-Njigba’s brilliance and reliability in clutch moments, Lock rifled a seven-yard touchdown to the star receiver on a third down slant to put Seattle back out in front 14-7 early in the third quarter. On the ensuing possession, he flashed his elite arm talent by throwing a fastball in between three converging defenders in coverage for a 17-yard connection to tight end Elijah Arroyo, helping set up a Jason Myers field goal to push the lead to 10 points. Putting a dagger in the red birds early in the fourth quarter, the quarterback found his favorite weapon once more to finish off the hat trick, throwing a rope over the outstretched arm of a dropping linebacker to Smith-Njigba for a 12-yard touchdown in the back of the end zone, finishing off the best game of his NFL career.
Halftime Observations: Jaxon Smith-Njigba Strikes Early, Seahawks Battle Cardinals to 7-7 Tie
Throwing the first haymaker in the desert, Drew Lock hit Jaxon Smith-Njigba for an 82-yard touchdown on the Seattle Seahawks’ second play from scrimmage, ultimately going into the half tied up with the Arizona Cardinals 7-7 at State Farm Stadium.
Here are three quick observations from the first half in Glendale:
1. Even with the roof closed, lightning strikes early in the form of Smith-Njigba feasting on busted coverage.
Starting his first NFL game since 2024 when he played for the Giants, the Seahawks hoped to get Lock into a rhythm early with a few easy completions, similar to how he got untracked in the second half last week in a comeback win over the Patriots. But offensive coordinator Brian Fleury likely didn’t expect that “easy” pass to be downfield to an uncovered Smith-Njigba, who came loose wide open with a double move as safety Budda Baker took the bait and got left in the dust. Without another defender in support, Lock was able to loft a deep ball to the reigning Offensive Player of the Year, who did the rest coasting into the end zone for an 82-yard score, the longest touchdown of his career.
After three consecutive drives that ended punt, fumble, and punt, Lock went back to his most trusted weapon, hitting Smith-Njigba for a pair of first down throws to advance into the red zone for the first time. Unfortunately, the drive sputtered with four straight run plays inside the 10-yard line, including Emanuel Wilson getting stuffed on third and fourth down to send Seattle back to the sideline without any points.
Delirium in Denver: Sounders Claw Back in Draw with Rapids, Reign Fall to Summit
The Seattle Sounders and Seattle Reign both traveled to Denver for respective matches with the Colorado Rapids and Denver Summit on Saturday, with both squads fighting for playoff positioning.
The Sounders (7-9-8, 13th in MLS Western Conference) found themselves down 3-1 late before transfer-window additions Dejan Joveljic and Caden Clark scored long-distance lasers in the 79th and stoppage time, respectively, to make it 3-3 by the time the final whistle sounded. The result was the Sounders fifth straight draw, as Seattle looks forward to three matches at home in the next 10 days — the Sounders are still just three points behind ninth-place Portland with two games in hand and 10 matches to play.
As for the Reign (11-10-4), it was the second straight loss to a team just beneath them in the race for the NWSL’s eighth and final playoff spot. Head coach Laura Harvey wasn’t pleased with her team’s early effort as Seattle went down 2-0 before Brittany Ratcliffe pulled one back in the early second half to give Seattle a chance. Seattle could be on the outside looking in sooner than expected if Angel City, who beat the Reign on Wednesday, pulls out a win in Utah on Sunday afternoon.
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Qasim Ali breaks down the action.
Previewing Gonzaga's 2026-27 Notable Nonconference Opponents
Although neither their 2026-27 roster nor full schedule is finalized, the Gonzaga Bulldogs have several marquee nonconference matchups set in stone for this season. The Zags always try to play the toughest opponents possible outside their league, aiming to build a strong resume for NCAA Tournament seeding.
Last year, things didn’t go as planned, with Michigan and Alabama being viewed as the only quality teams Gonzaga played by March. But even with their horrid loss to the Wolverines, GU earned a 3-seed with a 30-3 record and a 16-2 mark in WCC play. Also, fellow West Coast Conference teams Saint Mary’s and Santa Clara punched tickets to the dance, and the Bulldogs won three of their four matchups against those two.
Even with its transition to the revamped Pac-12, Gonzaga still doesn’t play in a conference on the level of the country’s power schools. So this season, the Zags have assembled one of the nation’s most daunting non-conference slates, including 10 power conference programs and four of last season’s NCAA Tournament participants.
Huskies Dominate Eastern Washington, Leave Unanswered Questions
No drama this time.
Not in this week’s result, though concerns remain despite a decisive win over an FCS opponent.
The Washington Huskies football team capped its non-conference slate with a 48-16 win over Eastern Washington on Saturday at Husky Stadium. The Huskies, favored by more than three touchdowns before eking out wins against Washington State and Utah State, dispatched the 42.5-point underdog Eagles from Cheney with relative ease.
The announced attendance was 61,619, though it appeared that many of the purported attendees found something else to do while Washington (3-0) played an inferior opponent for the third straight week.
What the undefeated start means remains to be seen when UW opens its stretch of nine straight Big Ten games next Saturday against Minnesota. And despite the lopsided result, there is still work to be done as the competition stiffens dramatically over the next few games.
Mariners Split First Two against Rockies, Reach Edge of Elimination
When the M’s looked at their schedule in the early months of 2026, the antepenultimate series of the season - a three-game set against the Colorado Rockies - surely did not stand out as particularly important.
The 2025 Rockies, who were the second-to-last regular season series for the M’s, had been mere speed bumps for Cal Raleigh to reach the six decade mark and for the team to clinch its spot as AL West champs. The fact that their opponents were then the Rockies meant nothing, because the story of that team at that point was what they could do, rather than what could be done to them.
And as it turned out, it is not. Despite the fact that the two teams will be separated by somewhere on the order of 15 to 20 wins at the end of the year, neither one will be going anywhere in October. The Rockies, as expected, have been one of the worst teams in the sport, long competing for the NL West cellar with the near-equally hapless Giants until the bottom fell out in September with a 1-11 run going into their series with Seattle.
Over the first two games of their series, the teams have split a game apiece, looking very much evenly matched as they battled - perhaps flailed is a better term - against each other in picturesque Coors Field. Seattle won 5-4 on Friday while Colorado prevailed 5-3 on Saturday, nearly even tallies for teams that, by this point of the year, were nearly even in ability.
Perhaps the Mariners could have won both had their defense been merely average; perhaps the Rockies could have won both had their pitching been merely average. Both teams ensured that their performance in this series wouldn’t meaningfully impact their chances long before they actually faced off; the only difference is that the Mariners didn’t expect it to happen to them.
Thriving in Newest Role With Seahawks, Brady Russell Keeps Seizing Opportunities
In the modern NFL, the traditional fullback has largely steered towards the path of extinction, with most teams not even rostering a player at the position and opting to utilize tight ends, offensive linemen, or even defensive linemen as a lead blocker when duty calls in short yardage.
But a handful of teams have zigged while the rest of the league zags, and the Seahawks jumped back into the mix as a team that deploys fullbacks last season when they hired Klint Kubiak as their offensive coordinator, bringing in a heralded play caller from the Shanahan coaching tree who ran a run-first West coast style scheme. Coming off a Super Bowl win, after using two-back sets north of 21% of the time in 2025, the team replaced Kubiak with another Shanahan disciple in Brian Fleury, ensuring fullbacks would remain a big piece of the puzzle.
Those plans appeared to be in trouble in early August, as expected starter Robbie Ouzts missed multiple practices before being placed on injured reserve with a neck injury, ending his season before it even started. With few college programs developing fullbacks these days, there weren’t many replacement options available to sign off the free agent market, leaving a big void in Fleury’s two-back heavy system.
Fortunately, Seattle has been building a contingency plan at the position over the past calendar year since Kubiak first arrived and continuing with Fleury’s hire, with do-it-all tight end and special teams ace Brady Russell now more than ready to take on the role in Ouzts’ absence after largely learning through observation last season.
Instant Takeaways: Storm Allow Massive Run in Loss to Valkyries
The Seattle Storm put forth possibly their worst 13 minutes of basketball all season in the second and third quarters, but they finished strong with an attempted comeback in a 70-57 loss to the Golden State Valkyries on Saturday, Sept. 19, at the Chase Center.
Seattle (8-34) lost its second straight game since the FIBA break ended. Flau’jae Johnson was the Storm’s only double-digit scorer with 17 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals. Dominique Malonga and Awa Fam each added eight points and combined for 15 rebounds.
Even without former Storm star Gabby Williams, Golden State (31-11) inched within a half-game of the Minnesota Lynx (31-10) for the No. 1 seed in the WNBA standings. Five players scored 10 or more points, led by Kaila Charles with 16 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and four steals.
Kraken Depth Shines in 4-2 Preseason Win vs. Canucks
The Seattle Kraken iced a roster of depth and bubble players, against a Vancouver Canucks team of a similar caliber. Still, the Kraken took care of business with a 4-2 win, where the team showed the wealth of talent battling for spots in the bottom of the lineup.
Seattle didn’t have any of their certain top-nine forwards (Jared McCann, Matty Beniers, Jordan Eberle, Bobby McMann, Chandler Stephenson, Mackie Samoskevich, Shane Wright, Kaapo Kakko, and Berkly Catton) play in the game. The “top line” featured Oscar Fisker-Mølgaard centering Frederik Gaudreau and Jani Nyman. Only one other line featured NHL hopefuls: Jake O’Brien with Jacob Melanson and Ben Myers.
Defensively, the Kraken also played more fringe roster players in Ryan Lindgren, Ville Ottavainen, Josh Mahura, Tyson Jugnauth, Cale Fleury, and Ty Nelson. Joey Daccord was pulled after saving all 14 shots he faced, and Nike Kokko allowed two goals on six shots.
PODCAST: Kraken Kick Off Training Camp, Aims to Make Strides in Lane Lambert’s Second Season
A new season has officially arrived for the Seattle Kraken, and though expectations outside the organization remain relatively low after missing the postseason a year ago, the team hopes to turn the corner in Lane Lambert's second season.
Kraken the Ice host Nick Lee discusses Seattle's choices for captain alternates behind Jordan Eberle, breaks down what fans should be keeping a close eye on during the Kraken's preseason slate, and revisits playoff odds with the offseason now in the rear view mirror as camp gets underway.
Washington State Offense Looks to Bounce Back Against FCS Foe Duquesne
After a tough 34-7 loss to Kansas State last weekend, the Washington State offense will look to find its identity and put together a much better performance when the Cougars host Duquesne on Saturday at 12:30 PM PT at Gesa Field.
Washington State enters the matchup 0-2 after opening the season with road games against No. 17 Washington as well as Kansas State. The Cougars have struggled to consistently move the football during the first two games, and the offense will have an opportunity to get back on track in its home opener against an FCS underdog.
The Dukes also enter the game 0-2 after losses to Air Force and Youngstown State. Duquesne has allowed 104 points through its first two games, giving Washington State a prime opportunity to get into a rhythm on offense versus one of the worst defenses at the lower Division I level so far.
Seahawks Injury Report: Tory Horton to Make 2026 Debut vs. Cardinals, Zach Charbonnet on the Mend
Coach Mike Macdonald remained coy as usual on the status of two noteworthy starters following Friday’s walkthrough practice, but the Seattle Seahawks will at least have their full receiving arsenal on tap for backup quarterback Drew Lock in Arizona.
Per Macdonald, the Seahawks will finally welcome second-year wideout Tory Horton back to the lineup for the first time in nearly a calendar year, marking his first game action since a shin injury cost him the final eight regular season games as well as the entire Super Bowl run as a rookie. A hamstring injury suffered during training camp ended up knocking him out of preseason action and he didn’t dress for the team’s 13-10 win over the Patriots in their season opener last week.
“Tory’s back. Had a great week at practice, excited to see him play. He’s worked hard,” Macdonald said.
It’s been a long haul back for Horton, who confirmed in the early stages of training camp that he played through the injury for several weeks before landing on injured reserve, undergoing surgery after the Super Bowl and having a rod inserted into his leg. Requiring several months of healing, he didn’t participate in Seattle’s on-field offseason activities, but he avoided starting the new season on the PUP list and gradually ramped up his practice work before his latest setback occurred in mid-August.
Big Ten Picks: Huskies Will Silence Eastern, Not Doubters, This Week
Can the mighty Eastern Washington Eagles stun Washington this week?
Well…
No…
This isn’t Vernon Adams and Cooper Kupp coming to town this week. That duo was trying to score late to stun the Huskies in 2014. First-year UW coach Chris Petersen and his team held on to win 59-52 that day, just three years after Steve Sarkisian escaped the Eagles with a 30-27 win.
All those Eags are long gone, however. Eastern, a powerhouse during the 2010s, last finished with a winning season in 2021. They’re off to a 1-2 start this season, and Eastern will soon be 1-3.
The Huskies, of course, have problems of their own despite a 2-0 start. Though they beat Washington State 24-10, the Cougars trailed just 10-7 in the fourth quarter. Last week, Utah State was throwing into the end zone to win the game, which UW held on to win 13-10.
There are plenty of questions about head coach Jedd Fisch’s offense, Demond William Jr.’s quarterback play, a running back room depleted by injuries and an offensive line that has failed to dominate lesser opponents the first two weeks.
Instant Takeaways: Storm Give Up Season-High Points vs. Aces in First Game Back From FIBA Break
A’ja Wilson (29 points) and Jackie Young (35 points) scored a combined 64 points and the Seattle Storm gave up a season-high in points in a 114-77 loss to the Las Vegas Aces on Thursday, Sept. 17, at Climate Pledge Arena.
Seattle (8-33) was without Ezi Magbegor, Jordan Horston, Jade Melbourne and Katie Lou Samuelson, even though they did get Natisha Hiedeman back on the court for the first time since Aug. 14.
Las Vegas (28-13) continued to look like it could repeat as WNBA champions as a true powerhouse of the league, led by its top two stars. The Storm couldn’t keep up whatsoever.
Seattle Soccer Update: Reign Fall to Angel City, Sounders Lose Rothrock to Hamstring Injury
Seattle’s top-flight soccer teams suffered blows in the middle of the week, as the Seattle Reign lost a key playoff matchup to Angel City 3-1 on Wednesday night while Sounders leading scorer Paul Rothrock was ruled out for the next eight to 10 weeks with a hamstring injury on Tuesday. The Reign (11-9-4) cling to the final NWSL playoff spot with six games to play while the 14th-place Sounders (7-9-7) look to claw back into the MLS Western Conference playoff race with an international break to come.
ECS beat reporter Qasim Ali breaks down what it all means before both teams play critical matches in Denver this weekend.
Explore our latest Seattle sports content by clicking on your favorite team(s) below!
