Seattle Mariners probable pitchers & starting lineups vs. Detroit Tigers, April 1

On a Monday night when the Seattle Mariners needed Emerson Hancock to (at least) be decent, he instead had arguably the worst outing of his Major League career. Hancock allowed seven hits, a walk and six earned runs to the Detroit Tigers, and didn't even survive the first inning.

In a scenario all too typical for your average Seattle sports fan, Monday night was also when the Mariners' bats finally decided to come alive, with season-highs of eight hits and six runs. Unfortunately for everyone concerned, falling behind 6-0 in the top of the first contributed towards a deficit which was just too much to overcome. The Mariners lost 9-6 to fall to 2-3 for the year.

Mariners manager Dan Wilson did his best to be positive postgame, discussing how his players fought back from the first inning implosion by Hancock. He said, via Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times: "It was just a tough, tough first inning for us, but the guys really, really battled back you know and gave them all they could handle, all the way to the end."

The Mariners will look to even the series at T-Mobile Park on Tuesday night, with first pitch scheduled for 6:40 p.m. PT. Here's a look at the probable starters and lineups and how to watch.

Starting Pitchers

For the Mariners: Logan Gilbert, RHP (0-0)

Logan Gilbert proved to be one of the most durable and dominant pitchers in all of baseball last season, as evidenced by leading all qualifying pitchers with 208.2 innings and a 0.887 WHIP. He was also the Mariners' best starter from beginning to end, leading to him deservedly being named the Opening Day starter for 2025.

Gilbert proved he was worthy of the assignment by pitching seven stellar innings against the Athletics, allowing only two hits, no walks and one run, while also striking out eight. He has faced the Tigers only three times in his career, with the last start coming back in May of 2023. In that one, he allowed six hits, a walk and three runs in 5.2 innings in a 5-3 loss for Seattle.

For the Tigers: Casey Mize, RHP (0-0)

Casey Mize will make his first start of the season on Tuesday, and with high hopes among fans. He pitched 19.0 innings over six appearances during spring training, posting a 1.89 ERA and leading the team with 25 strikeouts.

Mize has yet to live up to the potential which saw him selected first overall in the 2018 draft, producing a 4.36 ERA, 4.60 FIP and 1.299 WHIP in 61 Major League appearances (including 59 starts). However, there is some suggestion the hard splitter he showcased during Grapefruit League action, could be just the ticket to take his play to the next level.

Mariners Starting Lineup vs. Mize

1. RF Victor Robles (R)
2. CF Julio Rodríguez (R)
3. C Cal Raleigh (S)
4. LF Randy Arozarena (R)
5. 1B Luke Raley (L)
6. DH Rowdy Tellez (L)
7. 2B Ryan Bliss (R)
8. 3B Miles Mastrobuoni (L)
9. SS J.P. Crawford (L)

Tigers Starting Lineup vs. Gilbert

1. 3B Zach McKinstry (L)
2. DH Riley Greene (L)
3. 1B Spencer Torkelson (R)
4. LF Kerry Carpenter (L)
5. 2B Colt Keith (L)
6. RF Manuel Margot (R)
7. SS Trey Sweeney (L)
8. C Jake Rogers (R)
9. CF Ryan Kreidler (R)

How can I watch the Mariners today?

Regional Coverage

• Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Alaska: The game will be televised on ROOT Sports Northwest.​
• Michigan, northeastern Indiana, northwest Ohio and northeastern Wisconsin: The game will be televised on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit.

Satellite Coverage

• Nationwide: Available via DirectTV.

Radio Broadcast

• Seattle Region: Tune in to Seattle Sports 710 AM or stream the audio live at seattlesports.com.​
• Detroit Regions: Various local radio affiliates found here.

Streaming Options

• ROOT Sports Streaming App: Fans in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska can stream the game live through the ROOT Sports streaming service
• FuboTV: Subscribers in the aforementioned regions can also stream the game live via FuboTV, which carries ROOT Sports Northwest.
• MLB.TV: Out-of-market viewers can watch the game live with an MLB.TV (subscription required).

What's at Stake?

Even this early in the season, the Mariners shouldn't be losing a series, especially at home, but this is the scenario facing them if the Tigers win again on Tuesday night. It doesn't matter that it's only April, with every game being important when you consider the team finished one game back of a playoff place in each of the past two years.

Key to the Mariners bouncing back is Gilbert, who needs to follow on from his Opening Day start and show why he is the de facto staff ace. If possible he also needs to go deep into the game and give the bullpen as much of a break as possible, one night after four relievers were forced to go a combined 8.1 innings.

A quote from now ex-Mariner Mitch Haniger came back to haunt the team last season. He said the team was better than the Tigers, but they ended up going 1-5 against their Motown rivals. Even one more win would have seen the two teams swap places in the standings and secure a playoff spot for the M's.

We bring this up not to rile the Mariners fan base, but instead serve as a reminder not to take anything for granted and also act as a warning. A team notorious for slow starts to the season can ill afford another one in 2025, especially with a schedule which has them playing 13 of their first 16 games at T-Mobile Park.

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