Detroit Tigers ALDS Game 5 Recap and Review: Tigers Offense Melts Under Pressure
- Chad Marriott
- Oct 11
- 7 min read
The Detroit Tigers' season came down to this decisive ALDS Game 5 against the Seattle Mariners. They got to this point after falling behind 2-1, despite winning an 11-inning Game 1 battle. They then lost a Tarik Skubal start and were embarrassed in Game 3. In Game 4, the offense had its best performance since early September.
Game 5 featured another Skubal start. He had lost three straight to the Mariners before this start. George Kirby took the mound for the Mariners. The game quickly shaped up into a pitching duel. The major difference early was that the Mariners were making Skubal work. The game went into extra innings, fifteen to be exact. The Tigers' season ended in a representative way. Skubal and the bullpen performed great. The offense and the young stars failed to rise to the occasion. The Tigers lost to the Mariners 3-2, ending their tumultuous 2025 season in the same situation as the 2024 season.
Detroit Tigers ALDS Game 5 Recap
George Kirby cruised through two scoreless innings (17 pitches). Tarik Skubal allowed a run in the second inning after allowing a double to Josh Naylor, who then stole third base and scored on a sacrifice fly. Kirby threw another scoreless inning in the third. Skubal struck out the side in the third, bringing his total up to seven.
In the fourth, Kirby hit Keith, who was thrown out trying to steal second. Skubal struck all three in the fourth, making it 10 Ks. Kirby countered, cruising through the fifth, striking out two. Skubal matched him with another three up and three down. To start the sixth, Javier Baez doubled. With Kerry Carpenter and his 7/13 career numbers against Kirby, Dan Wilson went to the bullpen. Gabe Speier came in and gave up a two-run homer to Carpenter. He got the next two out before Matt Brash came in to strike out Spencer Torkelson. Skubal went three up and three down again, increasing his strikeout total to 13.
Brash cruised through the seventh. The Tigers countered with Kyle Finnegan. Finnegan allowed two on but got two outs before Hinch turned to Tyler Holton. Dan Wilson brought in Leo Rivas to pinch-hit. He hit a single to tie the game. Holton then got out of the inning.
Brash got two outs in the eighth before giving way to Andrés Muñoz. He walked two before Riley Greene popped out. Will Vest came in to pitch the eighth. He punched Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez. Muñoz returned for a scoreless ninth. Vest responded with a scoreless ninth, allowing one base runner, and finished with four strikeouts.
Then, the Mariners brought in Logan Gilbert for a scoreless tenth. Rookie Troy Melton, who performed strongly in Games 1 and 4 of this series, came into the game in the tenth. Josh Naylor doubled to lead off before Melton retired the side.
Gilbert returned for the eleventh, allowing a single to Carpenter. Raleigh's first passed ball this season allowed Carpenter to move to second. The Tigers were unable to capitalize, failing to even have productive outs. Keider Montero pitched the eleventh for the Tigers. He retired the side without allowing a baserunner.
Gilbert returned for the twelfth. He allowed two runners before the Mariners put Eduard Bazardo in the game. He got three straight outs. Montero returned for the twelfth, allowing two runners on before getting a fly ball and a double play to get out of it. Bazardo pitched the thirteenth, striking out the side. Jack Flaherty came into pitch the thirteenth for the Tigers. He got into trouble but managed to get out of it. A very Flaherty inning.
Bazardo returned for the fourteenth, allowing a Dillon Dingler double and getting two outs before turning it over to Luis Castillo, who got out of it without allowing a run. Flaherty returned for the fourteenth, allowing a walk and nothing else. Castillo pitched a scoreless fifteenth inning. Tommy Kahnle came in to pitch the fifteenth for the Tigers, who loaded the bases for a Jorge Polanco walk-off single. Marines win 3-2.
Detroit Tigers ALDS Game 5: Tarik Skubal Is That Dude
Tarkik Skubal once again proved that he is the Cy Young winner, the best pitcher in baseball, and whatever other moniker you'd like to throw on him. He finished after six innings, allowing two hits and one run, with 13 strikeouts, and became the third pitcher in MLB history with multiple 13-strikeout games in a postseason. He set an MLB record for consecutive strikeouts in a postseason game with seven as well. The Tigers need to do everything in their power to keep him in Detroit for the remainder of his career.
Detroit Tigers ALDS Game 5: Kerry Carpenter Is Clutch
Kerry Carpenter gave the Tigers the lead in the sixth inning when he hit a two-run home run off of Gabe Speier, a lefty. In Game 1, he hit one off of George Kirby, who they took out of this game to avoid that fate. Apparently, it didn't matter. Carpenter has proved time and time again that he is a clutch hitter. The analytics folks will tell you that there is no such thing, but Carpenter continues to impress in the postseason.
In Spring Training, he made a point to ask Hinch to allow him to face more left-handed pitchers. Maybe that helped today, and maybe it didn't, but clearly, Carpenter has the competitive nature that makes him an elite player. Carpenter has a career .207 batting average with seven home runs, compared to his .278 average and 63 home runs against righties. The point is that Tigers fans will always remember Carpenter's playoff performances. Carpenter finished with four hits and a walk today.
Detroit Tigers ALDS Game 5: The Bullpen Journey
The bullpen has been asked to be perfect. Today, they nearly were. The Tigers have relied heavily on three or four arms, as the other bullpen arms have proved themselves unreliable in high-leverage situations. For an organization that has prided itself on pitching chaos, sometimes the chaos isn't the kind that the team wants. The front office will need to address this issue in the offseason.
The one spot they didn't perform well in was when Finnegan allowed two runners to reach before Holton allowed a run to score.
However, Will Vest has been a consistent bright spot throughout the postseason. He came in and pitched a scoreless eighth and ninth. Troy Melton has been an unsung hero for this team as well. He started a game, pitched in long relief, and threw in extra innings. He had a rough outing in Cleveland, and since then hasn't allowed only one run across eight innings. Keider Montero pitched two scoreless innings as well, reaching 5.1 innings without allowing an earned run (one unearned run).
Then came Jack Flaherty. He also put two on with no outs before a strikeout and a double play got him out of the inning. He returned and pitched an excellent fourteenth inning, which was ended by Dingler throwing out Robles' attempt to steal second.
Finally, Tommy Kahnle. Kahnle, who started this season as an elite late innings pitcher, came undone in a similar fashion to the Tigers this season: slowly, surely, and then it was over. Many will criticize Hinch for putting Kahlne in, despite the offense's inability to score an extra run over one and two/thirds games' worth of baseball.
Detroit Tigers ALDS Game 5: Extra Innings Pressure
The Tigers had opportunities to win this game. Torkelson, Green, and Keith went hitless (0-17), striking out a combined eight times. The team hit 1-9 with runners in scoring position, leaving ten on base. They had multiple chances with runners on and no outs in extra innings.
The Tigers' "power over average" approach has hurt them. It leads to more strikeouts, fewer walks, and hitting struggles. They were unable to shorten their swings and put the ball in play. It became a cycle they couldn't break. Many hoped that their offensive explosion in Game 4 signaled the end of poor at-bats, but then, of course, the home runs came, and the long swings returned in Game 5, as every player attempted to be the hero instead of playing the way that got them here.
Nothing is more emblematic of this problem than Riley Greene's uppercut swing. Yes, he hits more home runs, but it increases his strikeouts and lowers his batting average. Yes. Strikeouts matter.
Detroit Tigers ALDS Game 5 Verdict
The Tigers' decision to stand pat at the deadline is the right one, as represented by their performance today. This team doesn't have the pieces to make a run yet. No player at the deadline changes what just happened. No player available at the deadline brings team-wide plate discipline.
Fans will jump to the "do something!" philosophy because it is emotionally comforting to feel like something is being done, but the Tigers will need to take a more cautious and patient approach to avoid the long-term consequences that got them into the playoff drought they ended last season. They have now made the ALDS two years in a row. It's time to examine what this team needs to take the next step. That may mean that some of the utility players are gone or will stay in a reduced role.
It also means that recency bias cannot play a role. Is Javier Baez's strong playoff performance indicative of how he'll play across a 162-game season next season? That's a tough question. Furthermore, when everyone comes storming in, talking about looking for "sluggers," that is a complete misreading of the situation. The Tigers need plate discipline. They needed someone willing to put the ball in play. They need to see the difference between a strike and a ball, knowing when to do damage and when to shorten the swing and go the other way.
It was a season with some high highs and some low lows. This final game had a bit of all of it. They had moments worth cheering for that inspired the fans. They also had moments that had fans ripping their hair out. This upcoming offseason is a critical one. The team has some serious issues to address and difficult questions to answer, but for now, it's alright to be frustrated that it's over.
(All stats provided by Baseball Reference)
For more material like this, click here to see all previous sports-related posts. Additionally, consider subscribing to or following us on Facebook or Instagram to stay up-to-date with our latest posts.
Comments