The Mariners suffered a devastating loss on Saturday night against the Detroit Tigers, and now it's going to be very difficult to win the American League Division Series.
SEATTLE -- The Seattle Mariners are facing a historic challenge on Sunday night as they get set to face presumptive American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal in Game 2 of the American League Division Series at T-Mobile Park.
With every advantage on their side, the Mariners dropped a 3-2 decision in 11-innings on Saturday, and now the advantage has decidedly swung back the other way. Not only does Detroit have Skubal, they have the opportunity to rest the bullpen as a result. The Mariners, on the other hand, just burned closer Andres Munoz for two innings and lefty Gabe Speier for 1.1, and they have Luis Castillo on the mound, who isn't a sure thing to go deep into the game.
And there's this, per Sarah Langs of MLB.com:
In postseason history, teams to win Game 1 in any best-of-five series have gone on to win the series 113 of 156 times (72.4%)
In Division Series with the current 2-2-1 format, teams to win Game 1 on the road have advanced 34 of 46 times (73.9%)
So, that's certainly a cause for concern, and effectively makes Game 2 a must-win for Seattle before the series shifts to Detroit.
On the positive side, the Mariners have beaten Skubal twice this season, but it seems unfair to ask them to light up the best pitcher in the American League. They'll have to win this game with pitching, defense, some timely hitting, some solid baserunning, and probably a little luck too.
If you're a gambling man, Skubal's strikeout total is apparently listed at 8.5, showing you just how dominant the oddsmakers think he can be.
First pitch from T-Mobile Park is set for 5:08 p.m. PT. It will be part of a wild day on the Seattle sports calendar, as the Seattle Seahawks will play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers across the street at 1:05 pm. PT.
News and notes
--Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh each had three hits on Saturday. They were the only M's to get gets, as everyone else went 0-for-28.
--The M's did hit some balls hard, with 13 balls going at 95+ mph. Jorge Polanco hit two balls to the warning track, and J.P. Crawford did as well.
--Eduard Bazardo (one batter) and Matt Brash (three batters), are the relievers Seattle will have to lean on in this game, with questions about Speier's and Munoz's availability, or at least effectiveness, given the Saturday workloads.
Related Mariners Stories
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LEGENDS RETURN: Four Seattle sports legends came back to T-Mobile Park on Saturday night to help usher in playoff season, and it made for some special moments. CLICK HERE:
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