DETROIT- The last time Seattle was in Detroit, the Mariners kicked off the funk the Tigers headed into right before the All-Star break. They outscored the Tigers 35 to 14 as Seattle feasted on Tigers pitching. 

The Mariners hit three home runs on Friday and Saturday then hit five on the last day of the series. Julio Rodriguez went ballstic, going 6-for-12  with three home runs and a pair of doubles. Oddly enough, Cal Raleigh, who hit two home runs in the series opener on Friday, July 11, was held hitless the rest of the series. 

Similar to Game 2, Seattle got to Tarik Skubal enough in the series opener in Detroit and the Mariners got to former Tigers right-hander for 30 seconds Carlos Hernandez before left-hander Brant Hurter allowed a pair of earned runs in relief. It was so much of a beat down that Jake Rogers pitched. 

Despite the lopsided nature of the series, Tigers fans wished the offense could return to some sort of form similar to early July as the bats have continued to struggle in the post-season. Both games in the ALDS ended 3-2. The Tigers were hoping for a split but it came perhaps Tigers fans were not expecting. 

So far as home runs are concerned, the Tigers have hit just two home runs this season, one from Kerry Carpenter and one from Dillon Dingler. Without the "marine effect" in the Midwest, which is the thicker air traps the ball, so fly balls during the marine effect has a chance for the ball to stay in the park. 

 The one factor the Tigers are going to have is the rain as showers have delayed the start of the game. There is supposed to be a steady stream of rain in the forecast until after 8pm this evening. So  while the rain falls on Metro Detroit, let's look at the lineups for each ballclub.

Seattle Mariners

Detroit Tigers

Tigers Notes:

Per the Tigers PR department: 

Jack Flaherty today makes his 11th-career playoff start, which will be one more than the rest of the Tigers post-season roster combined ... he was the starting pitcher in Game 3 of last Thursday's Wild Card series Game 3 clincher at Cleveland, recording a no-decision (4.2 IP/1 ER) but improving his team's record to 2-1 when he starts Winner-Take-All affairs.

• In his final 15 regular season starts since the beginning of July, Flaherty had a 4.46 ERA but his FIP was much lower at 3.07, the fourth-lowest FIP in the A.L. in that span among qualifying pitchers ... Tarik Skubal was third in the A.L. with a 3.02 FIP in this timeframe ... no other A.L. pitcher in the Top 15 here in FIP had nearly the disparity between ERA and FIP as Flaherty.

• Tommy Kahnle leads Tigers pitcher with 29 playoff relief outings while Jack Flaherty leads with 10 post-season starts ... Gleyber Torres (50 playoff games) and Javier Baez (41 games) lead Tigers position players in post-season experience ... eight Tigers position players on this ALDS roster appeared in all seven of Detroit's playoff games a season ago.