WASHINGTON -- Seattle Mariners left-hander Ariel Miranda has a big challenge in store on Thursday, when he is slated to pitch against the first-place Washington Nationals (28-17) in the interleague series finale.

The game was originally slated for 4:05 p.m. but has been changed to 12:05 p.m. with rain in the forecast for most of the morning in the nation's capital with a better window to get the game in during the afternoon.

Miranda (3-2, 4.28 ERA), who is from Cuba and made his major league debut July 3, 2016, will face a Washington lineup that has the best team batting average in the National League at .277 going into Thursday. The Nationals have 70 homers while they have allowed 60.