After winning the first two games of the series, Tigers went sweepless in Seattle as they dropped the finale to the Mariners 2-0.
A good old fashioned pitcher’s duel took place at T-Mobile Park between Reese Olson and Seattle starter Bryce Miller. After scoring 11 runs combined in the first two games of the series, the Tigers were held to just five hits en route to being shutout.
The Mariners jumped on the board right away, getting a run in the first inning. JP Crawford doubled to lead off the bottom half of the inning, and Julio Rodriguez’s infield single put two on with no outs. Olson induced a double play from Teoscar Hernandez, and that moved Crawford over to third with two outs. Jarred Kelenic followed with a big two out knock, a double off the top of the wall in left-center field, that scored Crawford to put the Mariners up 1-0.
Reese Olson would settle in after that, with his only other blemish being a solo home run to Cal Raleigh in the fourth inning. Olson finished with 5.2 innings and two runs, striking out five, walking none, and allowing six hits. His offense wasn’t able to help him or the bullpen out, unfortunately. Olson’s ERA hasn’t quite caught up, but his 1.02 WHIP illustrates that the rookie continues to be a really tough at-bat and a nice surprise for the Tigers.
Bryce Miller wasn’t overpowering, but he kept the Tigers off balance just enough to keep them from scratching a run across in his five innings. He struck out three, walked one, and allowed five hits.
The Tigers may not have gotten the sweep, but quality relief performances from Chasen Shreve and Mason Englert kept the bullpen fresh and ready for the next series.
The Tigers and their 41-51 record will head to Kansas City on Monday to kick off a four game series against the Royals. Matt Manning will make his first start tomorrow since combining for a no-hitter before the All Star break.