Both the Seattle Mariners and the Detroit Tigers fought hard to secure a spot in the MLB Postseason. Detroit survived its massive AL Central collapse and exacted its revenge on the Guardians with a Wild Card win. Now the two American League upstarts show up on Saturday to kick off the ALDS.
The Mariners open as -199 Moneyline favorites in Game 1 on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Tigers are priced as +162 underdogs, while the total is set at seven runs. Let’s get into my preview, prediction and pick for Game 1 between the Detroit Tigers and the Seattle Mariners.
Mariners vs. Tigers prediction, preview
Detroit will turn to the bullpen for this game. Rookie swingman Troy Melton takes the mound for the Tigers. Their sixth-overall prospect, Melton started the year in the rotation before moving to a bullpen role. He brings a hard fastball and a sweeping slider to the mound. But the results haven’t been great recently, including a brutal outing against the Guardians in the Wild Card series.
How long he goes into the game is anyone’s guess, but manager A.J. Hinch probably hopes to get at least two innings out of him before turning it over to the bullpen. They’ll need it against Mariners starter George Kirby.
Kirby had a rocky year after a dominant 2024. But he certainly comes into the playoffs on the right note. In his last three starts before the postseason, Kirby struck out 31 batters with just one walk over 17.1 innings with a 2.08 ERA. After struggling to score in their series against the Guardians consistently, the Tigers’ work is cut out for them against a red-hot Kirby.
Mariners vs. Tigers prediction, pick
I have a hard time seeing the Tigers getting past Kirby’s excellence. Simply put, the Mariners are overwhelming favorites for a reason. However, at near two-to-one favorites on the Moneyline, there isn’t much value on Seattle’s own lines to win outright.
But I do see value on the under. Detroit’s bullpen did an admirable job against the Guardians, and they’ll keep things close while Kirby cooks for Seattle.
