Who needs Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize?
Apparently, not the Detroit Tigers.
After dealing their top two starting pitchers at the MLB trade deadline in exchange for a bevy of prospects, the Tigers went out and defeated the host Seattle Mariners 8-0 on Tuesday.
The three-game series resumes Wednesday night in Seattle.
“You lose a couple friends, good competitors, guys that are going to go out there and give you seven great innings,” said Tigers outfielder Zach McKinstry, referring to Skubal and Mize. “But you just swallow the pill and you try to move on, make new friends and enjoy it.”
Troy Melton (7-1) pitched seven scoreless innings for the Tigers, who have posted two consecutive shutouts and three in the past six games. Detroit has won five of those games, including four in a row.
“We played a really good game, obviously Troy was a part of that by setting a great tone,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “We hit the ball out of the ballpark a couple of times and then separated ourselves, but the at-bats were really good. The defense was really good. We played a really complete game all the way to the end.”
Riley Greene, Gleyber Torres and Dillon Dingler each homered for the Tigers, who tied a franchise record by scoring eight or more runs for a sixth consecutive game. Detroit last accomplished that feat from July 4-8, 1927.
“We still have a lot of the same players that in 2024 completely flipped the script,” Tigers vice president of baseball operations Scott Harris said of the team that sold at the deadline then rallied to make the playoffs and nearly reached the American League Championship Series.
“Our record right now does not define us, does not define ultimately what this season will tell us about this group. There’s still a lot I really like about this team. I think you’ve seen it over the past few weeks. … We are riding some real momentum.”
The Mariners, who had a two-game winning streak snapped, added a couple of bats to the lineup in designated hitter Taylor Ward, acquired a day earlier from Baltimore, and third baseman Brendan Donovan, who had been out since May 15 with a left groin strain.
That didn’t help as Seattle was blanked for the 10th time this season, a total exceeded only by the New York Mets and Pittsburgh with 11 apiece.
“We’ve got to come back (Wednesday), like we did against Minnesota, and we’ve got to get this series and that starts tomorrow,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said.
On Wednesday, Drew Anderson (4-4, 4.24 ERA) is scheduled to start a bullpen game for the Tigers while the Mariners plan to send fellow right-hander Bryan Woo (7-8, 4.56) to the mound.
Anderson will be making his first start since June 15 and his third of the season. He’s 0-0 with a 1.64 ERA in four career relief appearances against Seattle.
Woo has lost his past two starts, at Texas and at the Los Angeles Dodgers, allowing five runs over five innings in each.
He’s 6-0 with a 2.20 ERA at home, however.
Woo is 0-1 with a 3.60 ERA in three career starts against the Tigers. He suffered a 7-3 loss June 5 at Detroit, as he gave up five runs on nine hits over 6 1/3 innings.
–Field Level Media
