SEATTLE – Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said it best Wednesday night after the Tigers’ come-from-behind victory over the Mariners forced a do-or-die Game 5 in the American League Division Series.
“There are no secrets when you get this deep into a series,” Hinch said.
Hinch had a hunch Mariners manager Dan Wilson would turn to Gabe Speier when he did in the decisive fifth inning of Game 4, and Wilson said he knew it was likely that Hinch would pinch-hit to get a right-handed batter in to face the left-handed Speier, the sort of back-and-forth strategy that is heavily scrutinized in October.
“It didn’t surprise us because Game 5 elimination games are something to avoid when you’re on the lead side, too, when it comes to going into Game 4,” Hinch said. “So we knew Speier was going to be a part of it.”
The difference in Game 4 was Tigers hitters clearly had made an adjustment upon seeing Speier for the third time in the series – they know Speier is one of MLB’s most aggressive strike-throwing pitchers early in counts, and they were ready.
At the worst time, Speier had perhaps his worst outing of the season, leaving pitches over the heart of the plate, surrendering the Mariners’ lead and negating much of the debate around the timing of Wilson’s call to the bullpen Wednesday.
Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh acknowledged the familiarity the Tigers have with the Mariners relievers was a factor.
“Yeah, but it goes both ways,” Raleigh said.
The Tigers trailed 3-0 early and were booed by their home crowd in the fourth inning before scoring nine unanswered runs in a 9-3 victory.
Seven of those runs were scored off Seattle’s bullpen, a source of strength for the Mariners during their late-season surge to the AL West title, and in the first three games of this ALDS.
“They’ve been throwing the ball good all year,” Raleigh said. “I have confidence about a bounce-back on Friday, for sure.”
There’s certainly no secret around the Tigers’ pitching plan for Game 5. They’re going to ride Tarik Skubal, the reigning AL Cy Young winner and Seattle U Hall of Fame lefty, for as long as they can.
The Mariners announced Friday evening their Game 5 starter will be George Kirby. Luis Castillo will surely be ready to piggy back as a reliever when Kirby comes out.
In an elimination game, virtually every pitcher is conceivably available. In the Mariners’ case, everyone but starters Logan Gilbert and Bryce Miller should be ready for Game 5. (Bryan Woo, remember, is not on the ALDS roster because of a pectoral muscle injury.)
In an ideal scenario, the Mariners would be able to get something like six innings combined out of Castillo and Kirby, and then use a combination of Speier, Eduard Bazardo, Matt Brash and Andrés Muñoz to cover the rest.
Bazardo has pitched in all four games this series, throwing 54 pitches over 3.1 innings (allowing four hits and three runs in Game 4).
Brash and Muñoz did not pitch in Game 4. Both would presumably be available for one-plus innings Friday.
Muñoz has thrown four scoreless innings in the ALDS, allowing no hits and no walks with three strikeouts.
In Game 1 last Saturday, the Mariners’ All-Star closer threw two shutout innings, the first time he’s thrown two innings in any game during his five-year career in Seattle.
“Everybody wants to pitch in the postseason, and with that you’ve got to be ready every day,” Brash said. “It definitely takes a toll on your body, but with the adrenaline, you feel great. And our (training) staff is amazing. They keep us right. They’ve got me back from (Tommy John) surgery and back into a great spot where I feel really good, too. So I have full faith in them.
“But once it comes game time, everyone is feeling good. It’s hard not to. Like you said, it’s all hands on deck, but everybody wants to be in there.”