Currently: If the Detroit Tigers played all of their games against the Seattle Mariners, they might be the team many expected them to be at the start of this season.
The visiting Tigers will look for their fifth win in as many tries against struggling Seattle on Saturday, as Detroit ace Justin Verlander looks to continue his turnaround with a fourth consecutive quality start.
When the Mariners (20-35) visited Detroit earlier this month, the Tigers (23-31) came in having lost six of seven, but they still swept Seattle, scoring at least nine runs in each win and outscoring the Mariners 30-14 in the series.
The trend continued in Friday’s 7-4 Tigers victory, as Detroit (23-31) scored all of its runs in the first inning, chasing Mariners starter Carlos Silva after he recorded only two outs.
Since May 2, the Tigers are 4-0 against the Mariners and 5-16 against all other opponents combined.
“This one I think is a continuation from that (prior series),” said Brandon Inge, whose Tigers have lost only one of their last nine series versus Seattle.
“It was one of those things where we said collectively as a group, offensively, we said it’s time to get it going. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing. It’s just the timing happens to be them.”
Verlander’s only win in his last six starts also came against the Mariners, against whom he is 5-0 with a 2.43 ERA in five career starts.
But Verlander (2-7, 5.16 ERA) has pitched well in each of his last three outings overall, improving his velocity and allowing only four total runs in 19 innings. He didn’t factor in the decision Sunday, but he allowed only one run in seven innings of a 6-1 loss to Minnesota.
“That’s the Verlander we’re looking for,” Detroit manager Jim Leyland told his team’s official Web site. “That’s the best he’s been, by far. That’s the Justin Verlander we know.”
Now, Verlander is just hoping to get the run support he expected at the start of the season, when Detroit’s seemingly improved lineup had many tabbing the team as a favorite to win the AL pennant. Instead, the Tigers have repeatedly slumped, getting shut out a major league-high eight times - with Verlander often feeling the effects.
Detroit has scored one or zero runs while Verlander has been in the game in eight of his 11 starts. Leyland has tinkered with his lineup, installing Marcus Thames as the everyday left fielder this week and dropping Miguel Cabrera to sixth in the order Friday.
“When you’re a manager and stuff isn’t working, you’ve got to make some changes,” Leyland said. “If you don’t, you’re not doing your job.”
The Mariners have gone through even worse struggles, as they’re tied with Colorado for the worst record in baseball.
“We’re trying to figure it out,” Seattle manager John McLaren said.
They had won the final two games of a three-game set with Boston this week, but they failed to win three in a row for the first time since April 15-17. In May, they are 7-20 and have scored just 94 runs - worst in the majors this month.
Adrian Beltre ended an 0-for-16 slump with two home runs Friday, but the Mariners only had three other hits.
Felix Hernandez (2-5, 3.60) will try to avoid losing a sixth straight decision Saturday. In his last six starts, he’s 0-5 with a 5.54 ERA while walking 21 batters in 37 1-3 innings.
Hernandez, facing the Tigers for the first time since winning both of his outings against them last season, is 2-2 with a 3.86 ERA in four starts versus Detroit.
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