Mariners must make ALDS Game 3 count after surprising lineup, weather twists

If you could go back 24 hours to Monday morning in the Pacific Northwest, you would find two questions hanging over the Seattle Mariners ahead of Game 3 of the ALDS after they and the Detroit Tigers split the first two games. One was whether the game would even be played. And if it was, whether Josh Naylor would be there was the other.

We finally have answers to both questions, and we're pleased and surprised to report that the answers are "yes" and "yes."

Starting with Naylor, we fully expected the Mariners to have to navigate Games 3 and 4 in Detroit without him after he returned to Arizona on Monday to be with his wife as they awaited the birth of their first child. But when the Mariners revealed their lineup for Game 3, there he was in the No. 5 spot and at first base:

As for the weather in the Detroit area, rain has been falling at Comerica Park on Tuesday. But it's supposedly not going to last long enough to cause a postponement, with Tigers manager A.J. Hinch telling the press: "Things look much more promising than they did 24 hours ago. We're going to play. We don't know when we're going to start."

The Mariners can't let good weather and good fortunes go to waste in Game 3

Granted, a rainout on Tuesday would not have been the worst thing for the Mariners. It would have bumped Logan Gilbert's scheduled start in Game 3 to Wednesday, thus opening the door for Dan Wilson to go back to Game 1 starter George Kirby on regular rest for Game 4 on Thursday. As of now, Game 4 looks like a bullpen day ahead of a travel day on Thursday.

A rainout would have also had implications for Naylor, who is permitted (and as far as we're concerned, encouraged) to miss up to three games with paternity leave when he and his wife, Chantel Collado, have their baby.

According to Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times, Wilson would not provide any details on Naylor's absence on Monday. It would seem that the situation is still up in the air, with a report on MLB.com reading: "The plan has been for Naylor to remain with the Mariners until she goes into labor, at which point he will leave the club and trek to Arizona, where Chantel and their doctors await."

If so, it is very possible that the Mariners will have to tackle Game 4 on Thursday without Naylor and someone other than Kirby on the mound to start. As he had a 138 OPS+ for the Mariners down the stretch, Naylor's absence would present its own challenge. And if the Mariners open with Bryce Miller as expected, they would need him to shake off the 5.68 ERA he had in the regular season opposite Tigers All-Star Casey Mize.

With first pitch slated for 1:08 p.m. PT, we'll soon find out what the Mariners have in store for Game 3. Given the circumstances, it feels like even more of a must-win than a typical playoff game.