DETROIT – Resilience has been the word used most often to describe the 2025 Seattle Mariners.
Who’s to say the M’s can’t beat Skubal again?
And Wednesday evening, following the Mariners’ 9-3 loss in Game 4 of the American League Division Series that leaves them one Tarik Skubal start away from elimination, it was on full display.
“We have got to keep it positive. It is what it is and we can’t wait to play Friday,” veteran shortstop J.P. Crawford said at his locker without a hint of bitterness or concern. “We’ve got to get prepared tomorrow and get after it.”
While the Game 1 loss left them perhaps in a bit of momentary shock, in the visitor’s clubhouse in Detroit on Wednesday, the quiet was not as quiet. Players were not staring into their lockers or across the room wondering what had happened and what was next. Not one player had his head in his hands or head down. Rather, the focus appeared forward and the words matched.
“We’ve got a lot of resiliency in this club,” star catcher Cal Raleigh said. “I have confidence in the guys that we are going to go out and play good baseball. It’s going to be tough, but we are up for the challenge. That’s what you do during this time of the year. You face good pitching, you face good teams. There’s going to be challenges and bumps in the road, but we are up for Friday.”
Bryce Miller, who pitched 4 1/3 strong innings on Wednesday, concurred.
“We’ve got a lot of confidence in this clubhouse. I got no doubt we are going to bounce back, go to Game 5 and have some fun back in Seattle,” Miller said in his easy Texas drawl.
“It’s more fun to win in Seattle anyway, so we will do that.”
What we were seeing and hearing was the confidence that has been built over a full season. It was confidence born out of knowing they have bounced back before. It was a confidence they had in themselves and those around them. Nowhere in the clubhouse could a player be seen that was being consoled or needed consoling. What had happened, happened, and they weren’t shying away from it.
“I think everyone is a little tired, but that’s no excuse,” reliever Gabe Speier said of the bullpen. “Honestly, we just need to execute a little better. I think we can make better pitches. Honestly, all my mind is on right now is Friday.”
First baseman Josh Naylor pointed to the need to put teams away in the middle innings when asked, but did not want to linger on what they didn’t do Wednesday.
“We’re kind of in a good spot,” Naylor said. “We’re going home to our home crowd. We’ve been playing good baseball. We lost the game. Big deal.”
The playoffs are different, as is the mindset. The players understand what they are up against and that the competition on the other side they are going against is different.
“You know going into the playoffs it’s going to be challenging. It’s not going to be easy,” Raleigh said. “You’re not going to roll teams like that. That’s not usually how it goes. There’s a lot of fight in the other clubhouse too. They are a good ballclub. To me, it’s stay even keel. Flush it, forget it. Go to the next game and take it one pitch at a time.”
In moving forward, both clubs were looking to what they saw as their advantages.
In the home clubhouse at Comerica Park, the Tigers were taking a great part of their confidence from having Skubal on the mound to start Game 5.
For the Mariners, they were all quick to point to the home-field advantage they had earned and the fans they will be playing for and in front of.
“The series has been up and down both ways,” Miller said. “I think it is a lot easier to have the momentum when you are at home and you have got 48,000 Seattle fans screaming for you. We will get going right out of the gate and have some fun.”
“It’s always good to have a home-field advantage, especially when you have great fans like ours,” Raleigh said. “So go out there and execute and try to calm the emotions and go after it, for sure.”
“You get knocked down, you either stand up or you stay down,” Crawford said. “And we are going to get up and fight. We play really well at our park. Our fans make it really fun and the vibes are great, so go into Friday with a positive mindset.”
It appeared Wednesday night in Detroit, the page had been turned quickly. It was almost instantaneous, and that honestly was a bit surprising. But as big of a loss as it appeared to be to those outside the clubhouse, those inside knew they had better options than dwelling on the defeat and leaned in on an attempt to move on.
“We’ve done it all year, I don’t see why it is going to change,” Speier said of the club’s resilience. “I think everyone is really excited to get back to Seattle and put on a show for our home crowd and get people in the seats rooting for us and not against us. It’s big playing in Seattle. We are looking forward to it.”
More Seattle Mariners ALDS coverage
• Start time set for Seattle Mariners’ decisive ALDS Game 5 vs. Tigers
• What to know as Seattle Mariners head to deciding Game 5 in ALDS
• What stands out to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi as ALDS goes to a Game 5
• Three observations from Seattle Mariners’ Game 4 loss to Tigers
• Three things FOX analyst Adam Wainwright said about the Mariners
