Mariners fans look to Tarik Skubal's last do or die Game 5 for ALDS hope

The Seattle Mariners obviously did not have the end to Game 4 of the American League Division Series that they were hoping to have. Being up 3-0 early in the game left fans with a strong sense of positivity and hope that they would be able to hold onto their position in the game and make it to the American League Championship Series. However, that is not what happened and the Mariners are back home on Friday for a winner take all Game 5 in Seattle.

While the loss in Detroit felt deflating for fans, the Mariners have real hope for Game 5. The have home field advantage after an extra day of rest, and they have been much better playing in Seattle this year than they have on the road — especially in the second half of the season. The Mariners were 51-30 at home compared to 39-42 on the road. This team dominates at home and they have a great chance to go win this game.

The Mariners know that Tarik Skubal has been here before and that it didn't go well

The largest narrative for pessimism for the Mariners heading into Game 5 is that they have to face the dreaded lefty Tarik Skubal. Even though this sounds scary because Skubal is one of the handful of pitchers in the conversation for the best in baseball today, there is reason for hope facing him for the fourth time this season. The Mariners come into the game with a 3-0 record against Skubal, including a win in Game 2 of the ALDS thanks to two Jorge Polanco home runs.

Aside from the Mariners having familiarity with Skubal this year and with beating him this year, he had a bad performance last year in the same situation. Skubal was on the hill for the Tigers in Game 5 of the 2024 ALDS and he gave up 5 runs in 6 innings including a grand slam. Facing him again will certainly be no easy task, but Mariners fans should not be too worried.

The Mariners have had a season full of ups and downs. They never took a stranglehold of their playoff chances until the very end of the season when they swept the Astros. The Mariners gave their fans heart attacks all season long with good stretches followed by bad ones that tested fans' will and resolve. When things looked promising, things turned bleak. But, they never fell too far in the wrong direction to overwrite the positive things they had done.

There is still hope for the same situation here. The Mariners had a chance to punch their ticket to the ALCS in Game 4, but they blew it. Now, they have the chance to bounce back and fight back against who some call the best starting pitcher in baseball and do what they have done all year — be resilient and pull through at the end. There are lots of reasons for hope so let's hope that the Mariners are able to pull it off and head back to the ALCS for the first time in over two decades.