The Mariners can handle the ace. The trick is denying the middle and steering a hot bat into bad contact.
There’s no pretending the stage isn’t massive. Game 5 is a referendum on everything Seattle has built, run prevention, star power, the belief that this group is more than the sum of its streaks. Tarik Skubal is the headline act on the other side, a lefty with a blowtorch fastball and a ruthless plan, and A.