​The Yankees closed their stay at Tropicana Field on Thursday with a much-needed victory and a breakout performance from a lineup still missing Aaron Judge. They poured in double-digit runs to salvage the series, avoiding a sweep after two tough middle games. With that result, New York left St. Petersburg four games back in the AL East, essentially where they began the trip.
Now the Yankees hit the road again, headed to Washington, D.C. at 48-46 and still somehow in the playoff picture as the season unfolds. The Nationals, who entered Thursday 3.5 games behind the last NL Wild Card spot and 6.5 back in the NL East, have shown surprising life. James Wood is emerging as a star in his third MLB season, carrying a 0.948 OPS. CJ Abrams, Luis García Jr., and Curtis Mead have also been standouts in Washington’s lineup. While their pitching has lagged—ranking among the higher runs-per-game teams in the league—the offense has often carried the load enough to mask some of the rotation’s shortcomings.
Before the series gets underway later tonight, here’s a look at the pitching matchups that will unfold over the next couple of days.
Friday’s opener pits Ryan Weathers against Carson Palmquist at 6:45 pm ET. Weathers has been notably uneven of late, continuing a wobble in his most recent start after surrendering four runs in four innings against the Twins on Sunday. After seven shutout innings against the Rays on May 24, he posted a 3.14 ERA and a 3.50 FIP. Those marks have climbed to 4.29 and 4.06, respectively, with only one truly productive start in this stretch. There’s a well-worn Yankees meme about struggling against unfamiliar pitchers, and Palmquist fit that bill as Washington’s No. 5 pitcher. This will be the first time the Bombers face the former Rockie in the majors, though Palmquist has not enjoyed a strong big-league debut to-date. In 2026, after moving to Washington, he’s logged just 6.1 innings with a lofty 7.11 ERA, but he does carry a relatively high strikeout rate, which could pose a challenge for a New York lineup that has lately swung and whiffed a lot on power pitches.
Saturday features Cam Schlitter against Miles Mikolas at 4:05 pm ET. With Judge sidelined and the Yankees’ offense scuffling, Schlittler has become one of the few reliable bright spots for the Bombers, following a victory over the Rays in which he allowed just one run over eight innings. Mikolas, meanwhile, has been a rough subject for opponents this year in the results column. The veteran has appeared 19 times, eight as a starter for Washington, compiling 90.1 innings with a 5.78 ERA and a 5.52 FIP, including 20 home runs surrendered. He has allowed home runs to more than 5% of the batters he’s faced, underlining the challenge the Yankees will need to confront as they seek to ignite their offense.