Facing elimination on Wednesday, the Detroit Tigers pounced on the Seattle Mariners’ bullpen to even up the series and force a winner-take-all Game 5 in the Pacific Northwest. A date with the Toronto Blue Jays — and a shot at the pennant — is up for grabs. The Tigers are eyeing their first trip to the Championship Series in over a decade, while the Mariners are looking to end a drought that stretches back to 2001.
Detroit will march into enemy territory behind ace Tarik Skubal — exactly the guy you want on the mound with the season on the line.
First pitch at T-Mobile Park is scheduled for 8:08 p.m. ET. Detroit has the slight edge with -121 moneyline odds, while Seattle enters at -101. The total is set at six runs.
Ahead of Friday night’s decisive contest, here is my favorite Tarik Skubal prop bet on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Best Tarik Skubal prop bet for AL Division Series Game 5
Fresh off a Cy Young campaign in 2024, Tarik Skubal went out and got even better. Across 31 starts this season, the flamethrowing southpaw boasted a 2.21 ERA with a whopping 241 strikeouts, leading the majors with a 0.89 WHIP and a 32.2% punch-out rate. Oh, and he issued just 33 walks — the second-fewest among qualified starters.
His underlying metrics buttress the argument that he’s the best pitcher in the game. Armed with a blazing four-seamer and one of the filthiest changeups in baseball, Skubal leads all pitchers in Pitching Run Value at 52 — and it’s not even close. The 28-year-old’s execution is borderline flawless, putting the pressure on opposing hitters to beat him. They rarely do.
Skubal makes his third start of the postseason on Friday night, entering on the heels of back-to-back gems. In Game 1 of the Wild Card, the lefty spun 7.2 innings of one-run ball with a career-high 14 strikeouts. He followed that up with seven strong frames against the Mariners in Game 2 of the ALDS, surrendering just two runs on a pair of Jorge Polanco solo shots while punching out nine.
Against a potent Seattle offense, Detroit’s chances of winning shrink with every inning their ace isn’t on the mound. Expect the Tigers to ride Skubal as deep into the game as possible — and for him to rise to the occasion.
