Depleted Mariners have an ace up their sleeve for ALCS showdown vs. Blue Jays

It took everything the Seattle Mariners had to get through the Detroit Tigers in the American League Division Series. They had to beat Tarik Skubal not once, but twice, and they also had to endure the Barry Bonds-ization of Kerry Carpenter and a 15-inning Game 5 that teased heartbreak again and again.

More specifically, it pretty much took every pitcher the Mariners had to get through Detroit. Dan Wilson called on 11 different arms, including nine more than once. Three starters factored into Game 5, with George Kirby setting 'em up and Logan Gilbert and Luis Castillo helping to knock 'em down with 3.1 combined frames after the game reached extra innings.

That the Mariners won is obviously the good news. The bad news is that they have to be in Toronto for Game 1 of the American League Championship Series against the Blue Jays tomorrow.

Whereas the Mariners might have led off the series with Gilbert or Castillo if they had closed out Game 5 in regulation, neither figures to be available in any capacity on Sunday. Per president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto, the plan is to throw Bryce Miller "and friends" at Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the rest of Toronto's offense.

The Mariners stand to get their ace back just in time for the ALCS

The twist we're all waiting for, of course, concerns Bryan Woo and whether he'll be available for the ALCS after pec tightness forced the Mariners to leave him off their ALDS roster. And while nothing has been decided yet, things are looking up for the 2025 All-Star.

Woo was able to throw a bullpen session ahead of Game 5 on Friday, which featured him smiling and high-fiving teammates. Per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com, Wilson said that the team wants to see "how he kind of bounces back from that,” but Dipoto went right ahead and tipped his hand after Game 5.

According to Adam Jude of the Seattle Times, Dipoto does expect to see Woo in the ALCS:

Even if Woo is good to go, it will be reasonable to expect some limitations on his pitch count. He hasn't pitched since September 19 in Houston, when he threw 67 pitches before coming out of the game after five innings.

Even still, having Woo in any capacity can only help the Mariners overcome the Blue Jays, who grabbed the No. 1 seed in the American League and home-field advantage with it.

Woo was Seattle's best pitcher to the tune of a 2.94 ERA over 186.2 innings in the regular season, and one of his specialties was slaying dragons. He had a 2.09 ERA against teams with .500 or better records, the fourth-best mark among starters who made at least 15 starts against such clubs.

The Mariners will be the default underdogs in the ALCS regardless of Woo's status. The Blue Jays were the better team in the regular season, and it's not like the Mariners can claim ownage on them. The Blue Jays won four of six in the regular-season series, including all three games they played at T-Mobile Park in May. And while that series was an exception, there's obviously a history of Blue Jays fans coming down from Canada to invade T-Mobile Park when their team is in Seattle.

Yet after winning their first AL West title in 24 years and surviving one of the most grueling Division Series in recent memory, the Mariners have shown that they have a knack for beating the odds. And if they have Woo for the ALCS, their odds won't even be as long.