These are the nights that sports fandom is all about.
Though it seemed like the Mariners had taken complete control of the series, the Tigers fought back in Game 4 on Wednesday, and as such, forced a do-or-die Game 5 tonight at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. The winner? On their way to Toronto for Game 1 of the ALCS. The loser? Back to the drawing board for 2026.
There’s hundreds of possible bets on this contest. Let’s toss a few together and make a same game parlay on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
Tigers vs. Mariners Same Game Parlay
- Tarik Skubal & George Kirby 15+ Combined Strikeouts
- First 5: Under 3.5
- Julio Rodriguez 1+ Hit
Tarik Skubal & George Kirby 15+ Combined Strikeouts
Kirby is probably the bigger question mark of these two pitchers. Not because he looked bad in Game 1 — he allowed two earned runs and struck out eight over five innings — but because the Mariners also have the option of a fully rested Luis Castillo out of the bullpen. Either way, Kirby has been at his best in Seattle in 2025, pitching to a 3.12 FIP with a 26.9% strikeout rate. Considering the Tigers posted MLB’s third-highest strikeout rate after the All-Star break (25.1%), it doesn’t seem too farfetched that Kirby will carry his weight in this combined prop.
Then there’s Skubal, who already has 23 strikeouts in his 14.2 innings of postseason work. The left-hander is likely about to win his second consecutive Cy Young Award, and it’s not all that difficult to see why. In fact, Skubal led all qualified pitchers in the regular season in strikeout rate (32.2%) and swinging strike rate (16.6%). Simply put, the man is a strikeout machine, and I doubt he’ll have any issue racking up the whiffs against a Mariners lineup that ranked third in swinging strike rate (12.9%) and fifth in chase rate (33.3%) during the second half of the regular season.
First 5: Under 3.5
Would anyone really be all that shocked if this contest plays out a lot like Game 1 or Game 2? Remember, backing this under isn’t just about endorsing Skubal and Kirby; it’s acknowledging how poorly the Tigers’ bats have performed across the past month. Detroit finished the regular season by sitting 24th in the league in wOBA (.294) and wRC+ (87) during September. Things haven’t gotten much better in the playoffs, either. The Tigers scored nine runs in Game 4 — the franchise’s highest scoring postseason output since 1968 — yet the team is still mustering just a .218 average and a .633 OPS since the beginning of the Wild Card round. Basically, I expect Skubal to do his thing and for Detroit to not support their ace.
Julio Rodriguez 1+ Hit
It’s probably not wise to expect an offensive masterclass on Friday night, but Julio Rodriguez can at least get one hit. As has often been the case, Rodriguez got red-hot over the regular season’s second half, slashing .290/.341/.560 with a 152 wRC+. For 2025 as a whole, the 24-year-old outfielder possessed an 88th percentile expected batting average (.284), while also posting the best expected average against LHPs on the Mariners (.281). Rodriguez has just two hits against Skubal in 11 career at-bats, yet the All-Star is as talented as they come and he’s been elite at putting the ball in play this season. To wit, Rodriguez was one of only 13 players with over 500 batted ball events. You can’t get a hit without making contact, right?
