United States Today News Mariners-Tigers ALDS Game 4 lineups, FAQ (3 p.m. ET, FS1)
Here’s something we won’t be able to say until Spring Training next year: If you want to watch four Major League Baseball games today, you can. Heck: Don’t you have to?
Thanks to the Yankees rallying to stave off elimination on Tuesday night, we’ve got baseball all day on Wednesday. And it’s also possible we have four clinchers: In order, the Mariners, the Brewers, the Blue Jays and the Dodgers will all try to advance to the LCS. And, conversely, the Tigers, the Cubs, the Yankees and the Phillies will try to keep their seasons alive. In the history of Division Series (1981, 1995-onward), there’s been only one year where all four series ended on the same day: October 5, 1996.
This is as good as it gets. Strap in, folks.
Throughout this postseason, I’ll be previewing the next day’s action, game by game, with the major storyline for each team from each one. Here’s what to watch on Wednesday.
ALDS Game 4: Mariners at Tigers (SEA leads 2-1)
3:08 p.m. ET, FS1
SP: Bryce Miller (SEA) vs. Casey Mize (DET)
Mariners: How much can they get from Bryce Miller?
The only real downside of Game 4 for the Mariners is that they were forced, thanks to the Tigers scoring three in the ninth, to use closer Andrés Muñoz, one of four relievers manager Dan Wilson deployed. That means a little bit less breathing room for Miller, who was excellent for the Mariners last year (2.94 ERA in 31 starts) but was ravaged by injuries this year and never found his groove (5.68 ERA in 18 starts). Since returning from the IL in August, Miller has made eight starts and given up 12 homers in 41 2/3 innings. (And his ERA was even higher before he hit the IL.)
Tigers: Can they just get it back to Skubal?
Sure, the Mariners have beaten Tarik Skubal (or at least beaten the Tigers when Skubal is pitching) the last three times they have faced him, including in Game 2 of this series. But go ahead: Ask the Mariners if they’d like to face Skubal one more time, with elimination on the line. The Mariners have grabbed control of this series, with a feel-good story, a lineup that’s muscling up, stars stepping up at the biggest moments and a fanbase that’s having more fun than it has in decades.
And yet, if the Tigers can win one measly game, at home, they can put the best pitcher on the planet back on the mound with a chance to send them to the ALCS. The Tigers just need to find a way, any way, to make that happen. And it starts with Mize. Seven years ago, Detroit made him the No. 1 pick in the Draft, and while Mize’s big league career has been anything but smooth up to this point, he will have a chance on Wednesday to deliver on those sky-high expectations.
NLDS Game 3: Brewers at Cubs (MIL up 2-0)
5:08 p.m. ET, TBS
SP: Quinn Priester (MIL) vs. Jameson Taillon (CHC)
Now, perhaps the mystery of the “inconclusive” hamstring injury is as simple as “Jackson Chourio is 21; he just heals faster than us olds.” But hamstrings are not generally that simple, or easily mended, and in fact, when Chourio exited in the ninth inning of Game 2, it was because he “felt [the hamstring] again,” according to Murphy. Another day of rest should help, but this is still a day-to-day situation.
Considering Chourio looks like he’s about to go on one of his heaters at the plate, the Brewers obviously need him. Maybe the best thing to do is just finish off the sweep and give everybody, including Chourio and his hamstring, a few extra days off before the NLCS.
Cubs: Is this the last stand for Kyle Tucker?
When the Cubs traded for Tucker with one season to go until free agency, it was with the explicit understanding that while they’d like to have him in their long-term plans (who wouldn’t?), he was here to help them win in 2025 — right now. As they face elimination, that “right now” is in serious danger of turning into “too late” or even “never.”
Tucker’s injuries derailed most of his second half and because he, according to manager Craig Counsell, still can’t play the field, the Cubs have to put him at DH, which is causing issues up and down the lineup. That all would be worth it if Tucker were hitting. But he isn’t so far: 0-for-6 in this series, and 3-for-17 overall this postseason. This has also been a theme to Tucker’s career. In 69 postseason games, he’s a .226 hitter with an OPS nearly 200 points below his regular season number.
It is very possible, perhaps even likely, that Wednesday could be the last time Tucker plays in a Cubs uniform. The key to Chicago’s season (and Tucker’s tenure with the team) continuing may be for him to find his groove, and fast.
ALDS Game 4: Blue Jays at Yankees (TOR up 2-1)
7:08 p.m. ET, FS1
SP: Louis Varland (TOR) vs. Cam Schlittler (NYY)
Blue Jays: How can they cobble together 27 outs?
The Jays didn’t include Max Scherzer on the playoff roster, and you can absolutely understand why: He had a 10.20 ERA in his four September starts and gave up seven runs in two-thirds of an inning against the Royals in a game the Jays lost 20-1. It has