After winning a pair of road games to begin the ALCS, it felt as if the Seattle Mariners reaching their first-ever World Series was destiny. Unfortunately, as many Mariners fans probably anticipated, nothing is ever easy in October. The Toronto Blue Jays have stormed back, winning each of the next two games, both of which took place at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, tying the series at two apiece and reclaiming home-field advantage.
Momentum has completely shifted in Toronto's favor. The series isn't over - we've seen this Mariners team step up in huge moments before - but it feels like an opportunity was missed. They were in complete control and had an opportunity to win the Pennant on their home turf by winning two of three, but now, the best they can conceivably do is win just one game in Seattle.
This series isn't over, but again, the Jays have all of the momentum right now. Changes will have to be made for the Mariners to reclaim that momentum and win this series, because some of what they're doing right now simply isn't working. These three adjustments
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3. Give Harry Ford a shot
Why not start off with a bold take? Harry Ford, one of Seattle's top prospects, has just nine total plate appearances when combining the regular season and postseason, but he's oozing with potential. The Mariners opted to promote him to the majors despite having Cal Raleigh, the best catcher in the game, because of everything he can do. They're comfortable playing him if the right opportunity arrises, and he can make an impact both at the plate and on the base paths.
Why not give this top prospect a shot? The Mariners made a lineup adjustment in Game 4, using Leo Rivas to start over the struggling Victor Robles. Rivas, to his credit, didn't have a bad day at the plate, lining out twice and drawing a walk, but the only time he got on base resulted in him getting picked off. I totally understand that he looked pretty good at the dish on Thursday and that he came through with an enormous hit in the ALDS, but Ford's ceiling is much higher.
With Blue Jays ace Kevin Gausman set to take the mound in Game 5, the Mariners need all of the offense they can get, especially after scoring a total of six runs in the last two games. Their lineup, as constructed, has gone cold, so why not give the youngster a look? He does have a hit in his only postseason at-bat after all.
2. Move Randy Arozarena from the leadoff spot
Randy Arozarena has a reputation for being an elite postseason performer, but for whatever reason, he hasn't gotten anything going this October. He's slashed .158/.273/.263 with one home run and two RBI this postseason, and has gone 2-for-25 (.133 BA) with eight strikeouts in the ALCS. His strikeout in the fifth inning against Max Scherzer in Game 4 makes it seem as if he's completely lost at the dish, and the numbers only back that theory up.
Max Scherzer strikes out out Randy Arozarena to get through five and is PUMPED pic.twitter.com/9DDKFk8Hmn
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) October 17, 2025
The last thing the Mariners can afford to have is a leadoff hitter who is striking out essentially half the time he comes up to bat and rarely reaches base in front of their dynamic duo of Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez. Arozarena has been that guy, unfortunately.
Arozarena has hit leadoff exclusively since the day of the trade deadline, but he had a .643 OPS in the regular season in that spot and has only looked worse in the postseason. Going with someone getting on base a lot like Josh Naylor in the No. 1 spot would make a lot of sense, bumping Arozarena down somewhere like fifth or sixth in the order.
1. Actually use Bryan Woo
The Mariners added their best starting pitcher, Bryan Woo, to their ALCS roster, giving fans reason to believe he'd make a major impact in this series. Well, we're four games in, and Woo hasn't appeared once. He was initially lined up to start Game 5 of this series, but things changed from the moment he walked to the bullpen in Game 3.
Woo was seemingly available to pitch in that game, but wasn't used as George Kirby imploded. The Mariners then announced ahead of Game 4 that Bryce Miller, not Woo, would start Game 5, and that Woo was fully available in relief. Despite that, Woo, again, didn't pitch in Game 4. Would the Mariners have won either of those games had they used Woo? There's no way of knowing, but they can ill-afford to just let their best pitcher rot in the bullpen.
After using five relievers in Game 4, the path for Seattle certainly projects to be Miller to Woo to Andres Munoz in a perfect world. That, would, of course, require the Mariners to actually use Woo. Hopefully, they're not shy when it comes to doing so, and despite Miller's Game 1 gem, he should have a short leash knowing Woo is available and ready to go.