Tigers announce ALDS Game 1, Game 2 starters against Mariners

Douglas Santo

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Tigers announce ALDS Game 1, Game 2 starters against Mariners image

The Detroit Tigers announced their starting pitchers for the first two games of their ALDS against the Seattle Mariners.

The Tigers will have right-handed pitcher Troy Melton start Game 1, and then Tarik Skubal will get the ball in Game 2, according to The Athletic's Cody Stavenhagen.

With Skubal pitching Game 1 of the wild card series against the Cleveland Guardians, he'll get normal rest before pitching in Game 2 against the Mariners.

Tigers Reveal Game 1 and Game 2 Starters for ALDS

The Tigers will send their rookie, Melton, to the mound in Game 1 of the ALDS before their ace takes the mound for Game 2.

It will be Melton's first career postseason start and just his second postseason appearance of his career. The Tigers' rookie pitcher came into the eighth inning of Game 2 against the Guardians and gave up four runs on three hits across just a third of an inning of work.

However, Melton has had an impressive rookie season in Detroit, pitching to a 2.67 ERA across 45.2 innings, with 36 strikeouts to just 15 walks. The rookie made 16 appearances on the year, and four of them were starts. So, Melton does have the experience of starting a game before.

Now, he'll get the opportunity to bounce back from his rough outing in the wild card series as the Tigers' Game 1 starter on Saturday in Seattle.

As for Game 2, there's no surprise it'll be the Tigers' ace. Skubal has been one of the best pitchers in the MLB all season long and is the favorite to win his second straight AL Cy Young award.

The Tigers' ace was incredible in the wild card series, going 7.2 innings and tying a Tigers' postseason record with 14 strikeouts. Skubal gave up just a single run on three hits and three walk, and led the Tigers to a 2-1 Game 1 win victory.

Now, he'll have the chance to guide the Tigers to a victory in Game 2 against the Mariners.

Douglas Santo

Douglas Santo is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. As a senior at Arizona State University, he will complete his B.A. in sports journalism with a minor in business in December 2025. Before his time with Sporting News, Douglas covered the NFL and MLB for Athlon Sports and contributed as a digital reporter for Arizona PBS/Cronkite News. He is also the head of Sun Devil Daily, managing all content produced about Arizona State Sports.