Facing the best pitcher in the world over the past 24 months is not ideal when faced with a winner-take-all game. That’s the situation the Seattle Mariners are in, however, with Tarik Skubal on the hill Friday. This will be their fourth matchup against the Detroit Tigers’ ace, needing to find a way to go 4-0 in those games. Skubal’s playoff numbers are brilliant, in keeping with his regular season, but he’s been leaned on more than ever before this season, and unless Seattle ambushes him devastatingly out the gates, the southpaw from Seattle U will surpass his career-high for innings pitched on Friday. What will it take for the M’s to overcome Skubal a fourth time?
Seattle, WA
Seattle Seahawks Show Commitment To Geno Smith By Passing On Quarterbacks In 2023 NFL Draft

The Seattle Seahawks are displaying an enormous dedication to Geno Smith after passing on a quarterback … [+]
For the entire discuss of the Seattle Seahawks’ curiosity within the prime 4 quarterbacks of the 2023 NFL Draft, they certain fooled everybody.
As a substitute, they’re sticking with Geno Smith because the clear franchise quarterback transferring ahead.
As Seattle entered the draft with the No. 5 and No. 20 general picks within the draft, their curiosity in quarterback prospects Bryce Younger, C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson and Will Levis have been made very public.
In reality, head coach Pete Carroll and normal supervisor John Schneider have been seen taking selfies with Stroud, Younger and Levis at their professional days main as much as the draft.
With the No. 5 decide, the Seahawks appeared to be in good place to pick out both Richardson or Levis, who have been anticipated to be drafted after Younger and Stroud. Whereas that didn’t fairly precisely occur with Richardson being scooped up by the Indianapolis Colts on the No . 4 choice, the Seahawks did have a possibility to draft Levis with their No. 5 and their No. 20 picks.
They handed each instances.
As a substitute, Seattle opted to beef up its secondary by stunning everybody with the number of Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon on the No. 5 decide. After which with one other alternative to choose Levis — who was extensively thought of to be a prime 10 decide heading into the draft — they handed on him at No. 20 to present Smith a bonafide third receiving possibility in huge receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba out of Ohio State.
Not solely did the Seahawks move on the chance at deciding on one of many prime quarterback prospects — in addition they had a number of possibilities at drafting Hendon Hooker, the fifth-best quarterback prospect within the draft — within the 2023 NFL Draft, they handed on deciding on a quarterback altogether.
Of Seattle’s 10 whole draft choices, they didn’t decide a single quarterback. In reality, they opted for 3 offensive ability place gamers and 5 defenders, clearly seeking to beef up Smith’s supporting solid together with a defensive unit that ranked twenty fifth final season.
As a substitute, their lone quarterback addition within the speedy aftermath of the draft was the signing of former East Carolina quarterback Holton Ahlers as an undrafted free agent.
Contemplating the Seahawks carried solely two quarterbacks on its roster final season, Ahlers tasks as a follow squad developmental quarterback greater than the rest. Drew Lock is returning to the Seahawks because the backup to Smith for the second straight season after inking a one-year, $4 million contract.
By doing so, they despatched a vote of confidence Smith’s means simply weeks after signing him to a three-year, $75 million deal.
The Seahawks’ normal supervisor, Schneider, defined why Seattle didn’t take a single quarterback within the 2023 NFL Draft.
By way of Gregg Bell of The Information Tribune:
“There’s three quarterbacks that went proper forward of us,”Schneider mentioned Saturday after Seattle handed on drafting a quarterback. “And you’ll’t simply push it due to like a story. “It has to really feel proper for everyone, the entire crew, the locker room, coaches.”
Whereas the Seahawks may have very properly drafted Richardson — the quarterback prospect they have been most linked to — had he dropped to No. 5, there’s no assure they might have given how they approached the quarterback place all through the draft.
Seahawks brass marveled over Richardson’s professional day, with Schneider saying he has a “ton of bodily expertise,” throughout his weekly radio present look on Seattle Sports activities.
By way of Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic:
“Actually spectacular,” Schneider mentioned of Richardson’s exercise. “He has a ton of bodily expertise, there’s no query about it.”
As a substitute, the Seahawks are giving a transparent thumbs-up to Smith as they enter the 2023 season with the veteran quarterback because the unquestioned starter for the current and within the close to future.
Smith’s take care of Seattle raised query marks regarding his long-term future with the franchise. The development of the deal provides the Seahawks the pliability to maneuver on from Smith after a yr or two. It doesn’t assist that Smith — via 10 seasons within the NFL — has had one productive season as a starter. In reality, previous to the 2022 season, he hadn’t served as a full-time starter for the reason that 2014 season.
If Seattle decides to maneuver on from Smith after this season, they’ll take in a useless cap hit of $17.4 million. In the event that they select to maneuver on after the 2024 season, the useless cap hit can be simply $8.7 million.
Whereas the development of the contract provides the Seahawks flexibility in transferring on from the veteran passer, their choice to move on including a possible franchise quarterback makes it arduous to examine Seattle unloading Smith after this season.
As he enters coaching camp because the unquestioned starter for the primary time with the Seahawks, Smith gained’t must look over his shoulder.
Contemplating the quarterback prospects that have been out there on this yr’s draft, that must be a large reduction for Smith transferring ahead.

Seattle, WA
Mason Marchment scores in Seattle Kraken debut in 3-1 win over Ducks

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – OCTOBER 09: Brandon Montour #62 of the Seattle Kraken checks Olen Zellweger #51 of the Anaheim Ducks during the third period at Climate Pledge Arena on October 09, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
SEATTLE – Mason Marchment notched the game-winning tally in his Seattle debut, Joey Daccord had 35 saves, and the Kraken won their first home opener in franchise history, 3-1, over the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night.
Vince Dunn scored the first goal of the season and Jared McCann added an insurance goal early in the third period to carry Seattle to a win in their season opener.
The Kraken were 0-4 in home openers entering Thursday night, losing 4-2 to Vancouver in 2021, 5-2 to Vegas in 2022, 4-1 to Colorado in 2023, and 3-2 to St. Louis last season. But Seattle was able to weather a very rough first period effort to
Same as he did in Seattle’s first ever home game in 2021, it was Vince Dunn that scored the first goal of the season at Climate Pledge Arena,.
Dunn snapped a wrist shot into the top left corner of the goal with the aid of a screen of goaltender Lukáš Dostál by Eeli Tolvanen to give Seattle a 1-0 lead. Jaden Schwartz carved into the Anaheim zone, dropped a pass for Adam Larsson, who swung the puck to Dunn for the shot from atop the left circle.
But Dunn was also mostly responsible for the tying goal for the Ducks minutes later.
Dunn lost a puck to Mason McTavish that required Matty Beniers to clean up. However, the puck came back to Dunn, who then backhanded the puck from behind the net straight back to McTavish, A backhanded shot by McTavish fell directly to rookie Beckett Sennecke at the right post for a backhand finish by Joey Daccord for his first NHL goal in his debut with Anaheim.
The Ducks completely outplayed Seattle for the rest of the period, but were unable to find another goal.
Well, the puck did end up in the net a second time, but it was waved off as former Everett Silvertip Olen Zellweger pushed Daccord’s pad (and the puck with it) into the net.
Anaheim held a 16-5 advantage in shots through the first period.
An outstanding individual effort from Brandon Montour flipped the momentum in the second.
Montour won a puck off Troy Terry in the defensive zone to spark a rush up ice. Montour out-muscled Terry to turn the corner toward the net and found a charging Mason Marchment for a finish by Dostál for a 2-1 Kraken lead.
The goal deflated the Ducks as Seattle managed to blunt Anaheim’s attack.
The Kraken had a great chance to extend the lead on their first power play chance, but were unable to connect. A pass from Jordan Eberle looking for a wide open Jared McCann across the front of Dostál slid off McCann’s stick.
McCann did eventually find the third goal for Seattle less than five minutes into the final period. A regroup in the neutral zone quickly came back into the Anaheim end with Eberle firing a pass off the far wall to Beniers, who found McCann open driving to the net. A quick shot beat Dostál’s stick inside the left post for a 3-1 Kraken lead.
McCann nearly made it 4-1 minutes later, ringing a shot that beat Dostál off the left post.
Anaheim pulled Dostál with three minutes left to play, but Daccord and the Kraken defense held firm to close out the victory.
The Source: Information in this story is from original FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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Seattle, WA
How do the Seattle Mariners beat Tarik Skubal for a 4th time?

Win one came in early April, home in Seattle, with the second during Seattle’s obliteration of the Detroit Tigers just before the All-Star Break. The April game, Seattle’s top of the order looked fairly familiar, but the six through eight were all absent in October.
Baseball Savant
Lefty-masher Dylan Moore did just that, starting at third and providing the thump. Both Victor Robles and Randy Arozarena scalded the ball, and Seattle’s patient approach led to eight punchouts but also three walks along with six hits. Skubal’s approach on the day was not surprising, with him attacking Seattle up in the zone with four-seamers, 43 of his 93 pitches being those heaters. He added 11 sinkers, but it’s notable that Skubal averaged 96.7-97.1 mph on those heaters in April. Of note, the weather that day was just 50 degrees, with the roof closed due to the cold and wet, conditions likely to be quite similar to Friday night’s 70% chance of rain and mid-50s forecast.
If Skubal had showcased the same juice he’d had against Cleveland in the Wild Card round, it would’ve been a more daunting task. Skubal threw just six sliders and three curveballs on the day, roughly in keeping with his year-long usage (12% and 3%, respectively). His preeminent secondary was the 30 changeups he wove, which actually became Skubal’s foremost pitch overall by usage on the season at 31%. Both the four-seam and changeup were highly effective, getting whiffs nearly half the time hitters swung, but the M’s scalded the changeup when they did get ahold of it.
The pitch mix is pertinent, because when he took on Seattle again in July, the M’s lineup was largely familiar, but Skubal’s approach shifted.
Looking to outdo his initial outing, Skubal threw a significantly different medley, to even less success. Hurling 29 changeups in his 87 pitches, Skubal averaged essentially identical velocity on his heater and could not create as much swing and miss. His sinker was the ~main heater in this outing, 23 to 21 in terms of sinkers vs. four-seamers, and he added 13 sliders and just a single curveball.
Following a herculean effort in the Wild Card round that saw him throw a career-high 107 pitches, 43 of which were 98+ mph, 12 of which were 100+ mph, there may have been an element of fatigue for Skubal. Still, he was on normal rest Sunday against the M’s, and will be once more Friday, as will Luis Castillo, with George Kirby having an additional fifth day. On Sunday we saw a Skubal still above his season averages, sitting 98.1 mph on his fastballs but down from the 99.1 average he’d mustered against the Guardians.
In that Sunday outing, Skubal re-jiggered his pitch mix again, throwing his most even split of all four primary pitches (no curveballs) to date, with over half of his 97 offerings being heaters (37 four-seams, 22 sinkers). In particular, he attacked the lineup’s only two lefties – Josh Naylor and J.P. Crawford, with sinkers, using his four-seam just once against them. One of the great challenges Seattle faces is that, like Bryan Woo and Bryce Miller (as well as George Kirby in years past), Skubal lives in the strike zone. His stuff is so potent that he can get away with it, and thereby avoid walks. Indeed, Skubal’s lone free pass last night gives him now 21 of his 33 starts this year with one or fewer bases on balls allowed. Cleveland and Seattle are the only teams to have forced multiple free passes from the presumed repeat Cy Young.
It’s too much to hope for Skubal to be fatigued, as the mighty lefty will have adrenaline pumping in the early innings at minimum. What Seattle will be hoping to do, however, is continue an impressive trend of avoiding chasing against Skubal. Through their first three games, Seattle has swung at pitches out of the zone 35.1% (April), 23.8% (July), and 33% (October) of the time against Skubal. It’s a meaningful edge on a pitcher whose overall chase rate is 37.6%. Over the course of the game, that’s maybe only a handful of pitches, but the outcomes of playoff games hinge on those sorts of advantages. Seattle’s ability to attack Skubal in the zone, and let him dig a hole outside of it, relative to their opponents, is what may give them a chance to bury him for good this fall.
It’s likely Skubal understood this, fading his changeup usage despite it being his best pitch (and one of the best in the sport) on Sunday in hopes of putting the M’s on the back foot. If I were calling pitches for him, I’d likely lean on the changeup more forcefully regardless on Friday night, as Seattle’s ability to make contact with the sinker and four-seam is not as dangerous on a chilly, wet, October night in T-Mobile Park. For Seattle, an effort to force Skubal into deeper counts is likely the best approach, aggressive early, with defensive, foul-ball swings and takes at the two-strike mark. Detroit’s beleaguered bullpen is fundamentally a weaker unit than Seattle’s – and certainly than Skubal himself – no matter what occurred on Wednesday. It all only matters so much, ultimately – baseball is a game easiest analyzed in the aggregate, with sample sizes of immense heft. On one night in October, anything is possible.
Seattle, WA
Net Result: Grubauer, Murray Similar in Net | Seattle Kraken

The Kraken played the first of back-to-back road games Tuesday night, this time in Calgary. It marked the first opportunity for goalies Philipp Grubauer and Matt Murray to make a case for being in uniform on the Oct. 9 opening night of the 2025-26 regular season. The night ended in a 4-1 victory for Calgary, following an empty net goal to seal it late third period, and no conclusive advantage to either Seattle goaltender.
Both veterans played half the game with Grubauer facing three Flames power plays in the first 30 minutes and making 17 saves on 19 shots on goal. Murray stopped all seven shots he faced in the back half of Period 2 but allowed an early third period score by young forward Matt Coronato, who tallied 24 goals last season.
Kraken defenseman Cale Fleury got tripped up with Murray sliding over toward Coronato after a cross-ice pass from CGY center Morgan Frost. Murray fell forward, not leaving much position to stop the puck. The two-time Stanley Cup winner in 2016 and 2017 is looking to return to form after a double-hip surgery wiped out most of his 2023-24 season.
Murray kept his score sheet clean after the first-minute goal in the final frame.
The Kraken managed just 14 shots on goal by mid-third period and finished with 20 for the game, not providing much offense to counter Calgary. An early-game Seattle power play and mid-third period man-advantage didn’t yield much production, and, in fact, Murray faced the most dangerous scoring attempt on the later power play.
“I thought both of our goaltenders faced difficult shots. [Calgary] spent a lot of time in our zone, and our goalies were on call, that’s for sure,” said head coach Lane Lambert postgame. “I thought both of them played pretty well and made saves.”
Kraken Falter on Puck Battles
Lambert didn’t like his team’s work on puck battle and overall pace.
“When you lose that many puck battles, you spend a lot of time in your zone,” said Lambert. “When we did get the puck, we weren’t making many plays with it. Just not a good game overall. We have a lot of things to improve on … I thought we played slow through the neutral and in getting pucks back [from the Flames]. Just kind of doing things we haven’t talked about and not enough of what we have talked about.
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