Seattle will try to keep building on its momentum when it travels to Detroit for a series opener on Tuesday night. The Mariners won three out of four against Cleveland over the weekend, improving to 12 games above .500. Detroit has been in good form of late as well, winning seven of its last 11 contests.
Seattle lost six games in a seven-game stretch against Houston in July after the All-Star break, but the Mariners have been able to put that rough patch behind them. They have gone 8-4 in their last 12 games, including a series win over Cleveland this past weekend. Seattle is hitting the road for a six-game trip that concludes with a rematch against the Guardians next weekend. The Mariners are in second place in the American League West, but they are 11.5 games back of Houston. However, they are one games ahead of Toronto for the second AL Wild Card spot.
Our fans said it best. #IchiroWeekend pic.twitter.com/GxtUQStAoK
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) August 29, 2022
The Mariners have not been a great offensive team this season, ranked No. 24 in batting average (.230). First baseman Ty France leads the way with 117 hits, while rookie center fielder Julio Rodriguez has 114 base knocks. Third baseman Eugenio Suarez has hit a team-high 24 home runs. They will be facing a Detroit pitching staff that is No. 19 with an ERA of 3.99. Right-handed pitcher George Kirby is going to start for Seattle on Tuesday. He allowed one run on eight hits across seven innings in a loss to Washington last Wednesday. The rookie had not worked more than six innings in an appearance since July 2, but he still has a 2.43 ERA and 1.11 WHIP through 33.1 innings since the All-Star break.