Mariners' bullpen will be key element for Game 5 victory

SEATTLE -- The one guarantee for the Mariners if they are to advance in this American League Division Series against the Tigers is that they will do so with their bullpen propelling them through the finish line.

That army of arms could very well be the decisive factor as to whether Seattle wins Game 5 on Friday night at T-Mobile Park, or if its season ends in the winner-take-all matchup against Detroit. And that group will need a big bounceback after surrendering seven runs in a Game 4 loss on Wednesday afternoon.

“We've done it all year,” said Gabe Speier, who gave up the tying and go-ahead runs while pitching two-thirds of an inning on Wednesday. “I don't see why anything is going to change. I think everyone, like I said, is really excited to get back to Seattle and put on a show for our home crowd.”

Speier has arguably been the lynchpin of the series, the one player from either of these teams who’s been front and center when these games have reached their pivot point -- sometimes even, when he’s not deployed.

• In Game 1, the leverage lefty was left in the ‘pen despite warming when George Kirby surrendered a decisive two-run homer to Kerry Carpenter. The Mariners wound up losing, 3-2.

• In Game 2, Mariners manager Dan Wilson did not make the same mistake twice when that exact same spot arose in the fifth, and Speier bailed him out with arguably the tensest strikeout of his Mariners career. Seattle went on to win, 3-2.

• In Game 3, he wasn’t needed because Seattle’s offense ran away to victory.

• And then there was Game 4, where the Tigers finally got to Speier in a fifth inning that seized their series-tying victory. He had held Detroit hitless (0-for-8) with four strikeouts until that point.

As any playoff series goes deeper, so too does familiarity -- and that’s what Speier, Eduard Bazardo, Matt Brash and Andrés Muñoz will face in an all-hands-on-deck Game 5.

“Don't try to do too much,” said Muñoz, who earned his second All-Star selection this year. “Sometimes, we get that mentality that -- because it's the playoffs -- it's more important and all those things. You try to do more, and that is the worst thing that you can do. You just have to do the same thing that you do every day. ... And I think that is the key here.”

Muñoz should be fresh for Game 5, given that he didn’t pitch in Game 4 and had Thursday’s off-day. He nearly avoided both games in Detroit but was forced to enter the ninth inning in Game 3 when Caleb Ferguson surrendered three runs trying to protect an 8-1 lead.

Speaking of Ferguson, even as Seattle’s only other lefty option beyond Speier, it’s hard to envision him pitching in Game 5 because of his potential for volatility.

“In this Division Series, you're only playing two in a row at most and then getting another off-day, which helps you reset,” Wilson said.

How the Mariners’ relief usage plays out will hinge on Kirby, who will start Game 5, Wilson said Thursday. That said, Luis Castillo, who did not get the assignment, will almost certainly be used in relief. Yet, even some of that calculus could hinge on the status of Bryan Woo, who the club is optimistic can return if it advances to the AL Championship Series but is still unsure.

If Woo is cleared, he could presumably start ALCS Game 2 in Toronto on Monday, after the Blue Jays advanced past the Yankees. Logan Gilbert would almost certainly start Game 1 on Sunday. That alignment would allow for Wilson to comfortably unleash both Kirby and Castillo with no limitations on Friday vs. Detroit, as either would still be on regular rest for ALCS Game 3, on Wednesday in Seattle.

The Mariners have to get there first, though. And if Woo isn’t ready, Monday would loom large if Wilson burned both Kirby and Castillo at a high workload. The only other option would be Bryce Miller -- who started ALDS Game 4 -- and he’d be on short rest, an option that is neither ideal nor likely.

However this shakes out, Friday figures to feature all of Seattle’s leverage arms in some form or fashion.

“Everybody wants to pitch in the postseason, and with that, you've got to be ready every day,” Brash said. “It definitely takes a toll on your body, but with the adrenaline, you feel great. And our [high-performance] staff is amazing. They keep us right. They've got me back from [Tommy John] surgery and back into a great spot where I feel really good, too.”