The fourth and final Division Series matchup that’ll kick off is the Tigers and Mariners, as part of the 2025 ALDS round. The Tigers are coming off a three-game series victory over divisional rival Cleveland. Seattle, meanwhile, will look to get past Detroit to try to bring the city its first World Series title.
Scheduled Starters and Start Times
- Game 1: Troy Melton (Tigers) vs. George Kirby (Mariners)
- Game 2: Tarik Skubal (Tigers) vs. Luis Castillo (Mariners)
- Game 3: TBD vs. TBD
- Game 4: TBD vs. TBD
- Game 5: TBD vs. TBD
Game 1 is on October 4 at 8:30 PM ET/5:30 PM PT. The second game, also in Seattle, is at 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT on the 5th. The third game will take place on October 7 at 4:00 PM ET/1:00 PM PT. Game 4 is scheduled for 3:00 PM ET/12:00 PM PT. The fifth and final game, if necessary, would be on October 10, two days after Game 4, at 4:30 PM ET/1:30 PM PT.
All games are scheduled to air on FS1.
A Look at the Offenses
| Stat |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Runs Scored | 758 | 766 |
| Home Runs | 198 | 238 |
| OPS | .730 | .740 |
| Whiff% | 25.9% | 27.5% |
| Hard Hit% | 40.8% | 42.8% |
It was a tale of two different Tigers teams, or at least that’s what it felt like during the Wild Card round. Detroit struck out 24 times over the first two games and scored three total runs against a very good Guardians pitching staff.
In Game 3, Dillon Dingler hit a massive home run to put Detroit ahead, and the Tigers continued the momentum to score six runs.
Detroit’s offense has home run power, to say the least. The Tigers had nine hitters in double-digits in terms of home runs. And while Dingler hit the only home run for the team in the AL Wild Card round, Kerry Carpenter, Riley Greene, and Javier Baez all had at least four hits.
The Mariners, meanwhile, are a potent offensive group.
Seattle’s offense received a significant upgrade, in terms of depth, when Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suarez came over from Arizona. Both fit in well, providing additional pop. However, one note on Naylor is that he’s set to go on paternity leave at some point during the ALDS.
Cal Raleigh, though, has turned into the centerpiece of the offense. Raleigh cracked an AL-high 60 home runs, destroying records for home runs by a catcher and homers by a switch-hitter. Thirty-eight of those home runs came off right-handers, while 22 were off lefties. Raleigh posted a .900+ OPS against pitchers from both sides.
Additionally, it’s worth noting that the Mariners were one of the best ambush teams during the regular season. Seattle had 258 hits on an 0-0 count, fourth-most in the regular season. Only Houston (277), Philadelphia (282), and the Athletics (305) had more.
A Look at the Pitching
| Stat | | |
|---|---|---|
| Starters’ ERA | 3.91 | 3.97 |
| Relievers’ ERA | 4.05 | 3.72 |
| Strikeouts | 1,375 | 1,426 |
| Opponents’ AVG | .241 | .241 |
| Chase% | 28.4% | 28.6% |
The Mariners‘ rotation is beefy on paper, with three frontline starters in George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, and Luis Castillo. However, their ace won’t be available for the ALDS.
Bryan Woo, dealing with a pectoral injury, was left off the ALDS roster after suffering the injury late in the year against the Astros.
Kirby did not pitch particularly well in his lone outing against the Tigers this season. While he did get a win on July 12, Kirby gave up a home run and three walks, along with four total earned runs. The 27-year-old has long been known as a heavy sinkerballer who pounds the zone and limits walks.
Castillo struck out 11 over 12 innings against the Tigers this season, along with a 3.75 total ERA.
As for the Mariners’ bullpen, Seattle’s relief corps has been a considerable strength over the years. Hard-throwing righty Andres Munoz is part of the reason why. However, the Mariners have depth and pitchers who give different looks, like heavy sinkerballer Carlos Vargas and lefty Gabe Speier.
The Tigers, meanwhile, did a strong overall job of keeping the Guardians in check during the AL Wild Card round. A lot of that was thanks to Tarik Skubal, who struck out 14 in a terrific Game 1 victory against Cleveland.
Skubal, the current MLB postseason strikeout leader, will go in Game 2. Detroit will start Troy Melton, a hard-throwing right-hander who will likely be a starter long-term for the Tigers. However, he’s worked out of the pen for much of 2025.
Melton picked up the Tigers’ lone loss in the AL Wild Card round, as he gave up four runs in a third of an inning.
The nucleus of the Tigers’ bullpen — Kyle Finnegan, Will Vest, and Tyler Holton — didn’t allow an earned run over 9.1 IP against the Guardians.
Our Prediction
Even though these two teams’ offenses are very good, pitching will be the focus here. Which bullpen will come out on top, and can the Tigers hold off the Mariners’ bats when Skubal is and is not on the mound?
We’ll go with the Mariners in this series.
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