SEATTLE — The Mariners have been anxiously awaiting their opponent for the American League Division Series, with five off-days since the end to the regular season. And they finally got that clarity on Thursday when watching the Tigers outlast the Guardians on the T-Mobile Park jumbotron ahead of their second split-squad scrimmage to stay sharp before this best-of-five bout.
The Tigers, who had MLB’s best record leading into the All-Star break but stumbled mightily in the second half, overcame their September shortcomings by winning a winner-take-all Game 3 vs. the Guardians team that supplanted them for the AL Central title.
Storylines will be plentiful in this matchup, perhaps none bigger than Tarik Skubal returning to his roots. The frontrunner to win his second straight AL Cy Young Award jumpstarted his path to becoming the sport’s best pitcher at nearby Seattle University. Skubal, who dominated in Game 1 of Detroit’s Wild Card Series win, will likely start Game 2 of the ALDS, just two miles from the campus that’s still near and dear to his heart.
Skubal and the rest of Detroit’s arms will face the tall task of quieting one of the AL’s most productive lineups down the stretch — headlined by the man who was his batterymate when he started the 2025 All-Star Game in Atlanta in July. That’d be Cal Raleigh, fresh off a 60-homer season that’s put him in a head-to-head race with Aaron Judge for AL MVP.
But it’s not just Raleigh who’s been on a roll. The Mariners ranked third in MLB in homers (238), tied for ninth in runs scored (766, or 4.7 per game) and finished 10th in OPS (.740), overcoming their home environment that’s been one of the league’s least hitter-friendly.
When is the game and how can I watch it?
The start time is still hinging on the outcome of the Wild Card Series between the Yankees and Red Sox. If Boston advances, Game 1 between the Mariners and Tigers will be at 4:08 p.m. ET/1:08 p.m. PT on FOX, and if it’s New York, it would start at 8:38 p.m. ET/5:38 p.m. PT on FS1.
All series are available in the US on MLB.TV with authentication to a participating Pay TV provider. Games also are available live internationally, although not in Canada. Sportsnet is MLB’s exclusive English language broadcaster in Canada for every Postseason game, while TVA Sports will be covering the entire AL Postseason and the World Series in French and Broadcaster RDS will cover the entire NL Postseason in French.
Who are the starting pitchers?
Tigers: This could mark the return of pitching chaos. The Tigers used all three of their established starters — Skubal, Casey Mize and Jack Flaherty — to beat the Guardians. Skubal can pitch Game 2 on regular rest, but Mize and Flaherty will have to wait for the series to head to Comerica Park.
Troy Melton and Keider Montero are the closest Detroit has to a fourth starter. Melton tossed 3 2/3 innings of one-run ball in a Sept. 25 start against the Guardians, but took the loss in Game 2 Wednesday after he allowed four runs in the eighth inning. Montero tossed 4 1/3 innings with a run allowed and seven strikeouts last Saturday in Boston to help the Tigers clinch their postseason berth, but he was in the bullpen for the Wild Card Series, going unused in Cleveland. He served as an opener in Game 3 of last year’s Division Series against the Guardians.
Mariners: TBD
Seattle isn’t expected to announce its starter until Friday. That said, the status of Bryan Woo (more on this below) will likely whittle down their decision to Logan Gilbert (6-6, 3.44 ERA), George Kirby (10-8, 4.21 ERA) or Luis Castillo (11-8, 3.54 ERA) for the first two games of the ALDS.
Gilbert has been the most consistent of that trio and was the Mariners’ Opening Day starter, though Kirby and Castillo each finished on a huge high note, with a combined 1.47 ERA over their final three starts each. Those two have been much better at T-Mobile Park, too, with a combined 2.91 ERA at home compared to a 4.90 ERA on the road
The Mariners slotted Kirby then Gilbert over their final regular-season series last weekend, which could hint at how they’ll roll out their playoff rotation. But they will also be coming off five off-days leading into the ALDS, so re-slotting wouldn’t have much impact on their routines.
“You take everything into consideration,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “It includes thinking about what the playoff roster might look like, as well. Lots of different factors to take into account. And I think that is an advantage to having this week. See how things play out with opponents, with where you are as a club, all the different things that come into play.”
What might the starting lineups look like?
Tigers: Manager A.J. Hinch shuffled their lineup for Game 3 in Cleveland and reaped the rewards. Will he stick with the same batting order and hope for similar fortunes? Or will he play different matchups against a Mariners pitching staff that leans more right-handed?
Mariners: Even amid personnel fluctuations throughout the regular season, Wilson deployed a much more consistent daily lineup based on who was on the roster. And that will likely remain in the playoffs, with the only factors changing based on the opposing pitcher’s handedness. The Mariners have been turning to the same Nos. 1-3 guys in all but two games since the Trade Deadline.
If they’re facing a righty, Josh Naylor will likely be in the cleanup spot and they could drop switch-hitting Jorge Polanco down further while still retaining a solid right-left balance. If they’re facing a lefty, Eugenio Suárez would likely bat cleanup with Naylor down lower.
How will the bullpens line up after the starter?
Tigers: While the Mariners have a balanced lineup, they’re not nearly as lefty heavy as the Guardians, which could create an opening for right-handed sinker-baller Brenan Hanifee to rejoin the relief corps. He was inactive for the Wild Card Series and most of the stretch run after being optioned to Triple-A Toledo. The late-inning mix won’t change, led by former Mariner Will Vest in the ninth inning. Right-hander Kyle Finnegan has been used early, middle and late for big situations and dangerous parts of the lineup, similar to Beau Brieske last year. Tyler Holton pitched heavily in Games 2 and 3 of the Wild Card Series, but he should be available as Detroit’s primary lefty, supported by Brant Hurter.
Mariners: Seattle now has one of the sport’s most effective left relievers in Gabe Speier, who also didn’t have pronounced reverse splits (.615 OPS from righties, .516 OPS from lefties). He’s their clearest leverage matchup arm, as Wilson has typically used a standard alignment of Matt Brash (2.47 ERA, 154 ERA+) as the setup man and Andrés Muñoz (1.73 ERA, career-high 38 saves) as closer. Eduard Bazardo (2.52 ERA, 150 ERA+) has also carved out an enhanced role and will be a big part of the Mariners’ success if they were to advance.
Any injuries of note?
Tigers: Colt Keith, sidelined since Sept. 19 with right rib cage inflammation, has been working out with the team and increasing activity since the postseason began. If he’s close to ready, the Tigers could carry him as a left-handed-hitting bench option, then work him into defensive activity as his health allows.
Mariners: Woo’s recovery from pectoral inflammation has not just been a key Mariners storyline, but one of the most prominent in the sport at this stage of the postseason. The 2025 All-Star threw a higher-intensity bullpen session and simulated game — in full uniform — on Thursday but stopped short of saying he’s optimistic that he’ll be included on Seattle’s ALDS roster, which isn’t due until Saturday morning. That said, if there’s any chance he’d be ready, even later in the series, logic would suggest that the Mariners would favor including him over any other alternate reliever.
Who is hot and who is not?
Tigers: Báez went 5-for-11 in the Wild Card Series and is 11-for-27 over an eight-game hitting streak since the final week of the regular season. … Carpenter went 4-for-10 in the Wild Card Series and is 8-for-21 with three homers and nine RBIs for his career at T-Mobile Park. … Pérez broke an 0-for-11 postseason skid with his two-run single to break open Game 3 in Cleveland.
Mariners: Ever since playing in what Seattle president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto called “the best game of his career” in Atlanta on Sept. 6, Rodríguez has had one of the sport’s most productive stretches. Since that two-homer game and through the end of the regular season, the center fielder hit .303 with a .950 OPS while achieving his second career 30/30 season. Yet, Rodríguez’s hot stretch goes back even further, and perhaps poetically can be dated to the last time the Mariners faced the Tigers in a three-game sweep on July 11-13 leading into the All-Star break.
Rodríguez declined an invitation to the All-Star Game the morning of that series opener, citing the need for a mental and physical reset for the second half. Then he proceeded to homer in all three games. Dating back to that stretch, he finished the year with 3.8 wins above replacement, per FanGraphs, tied with Geraldo Perdomo for the most in MLB.
Anything else fans might want to know?
Tigers: This will be Detroit’s 10th consecutive road game and its fourth road stop — including Cleveland twice — since the club played its last home game on Sept. 21. The Tigers will have played 11 straight road games over 13 days before returning to Comerica Park for Game 3 next Tuesday.
Mariners: This weekend will feature the first postseason game at T-Mobile Park since their 18-inning marathon against the Astros in 2022, a 1-0 loss that ended their season. Overall, this venue has hosted just 10 playoff games, and the palpable anticipation given that it’s territory this region isn’t all familiar with despite a starved fanbase should make for one of October’s most electric environments.