Don’t let the Detroit Tigers get hot! After another series win, their third straight in a row, Detroit will welcome the Seattle Mariners in town for a three-game set. What can we expect from a team in Seattle who has world series aspirations?

The Mariners a Sleeping Giant?

The Seattle Mariners surprised baseball last season, making the playoffs and even winning a playoff series. In 2023, they have disappointed with a 18-19 start heading into Detroit. Despite the disappointing start, the Mariners pitching has been as good as advertised. Last year’s AL Cy Young winner, Robbie Ray will miss the rest of the season, but Seattle still has a very formable rotation in the American League.

In game one the Mariners will send Marco Gonzales to the mound, a veteran left-hand hander who has posted a 4.70 ERA in six starts this season. Game two will be a tough one for Detroit, as they will face 24-year-old Bryce Miller. The fourth-round draft pick from 2021 has busted on to the scene, to a tune of a 0.75 ERA in his first two starts. Logan Gilbert will be the game three starter for the Mariners, a former first round pick drafted the same year as Casey Mize. The 26-year-old had a breakout year in 2022 and is looking to build off that this year.

The Mariners staff is one that should be feared, but what about the offense? Well, you could blame the Mariners rough start to the year on the guys with the bats in their hands for Seattle. Their offense sits at 27^th in baseball with a team OPS of just .674. Seattle is leading MLB in strikeouts with a total of 362 on the season. The Tigers will still have to be weary of the young duo of Julio Rodriguez and Jarred Kelenic and a solid supporting cast of players, as it is only a matter of time before this offense wakes up a bit.

The Boys are Buzzing.

The Detroit Tigers offense is on fire right now. In the month of May the Tigers offense is posting a .745 OPS to go along with 10 home runs. While these numbers are not eye popping, they put in the Tigers right in the middle of the pack in terms of offenses in MLB for May. The team ERA sits at 4.33, which is good for 17^th in baseball. While I don’t like to be the bearer of bad news, despite the 7-2 start in May, Detroit could see some regression in the weeks to come. Nonetheless the improvements the Tigers have made offensively are encouraging, especially a few players in particular.

Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene have finally started to look like the players Tigers fans were hoping they could be. Riley Greene has on OPS of .934 in the month of May, to go along with a .353 batting average. Torkelson is hitting .333, with an OPS approaching .900 as well. They both are tied for the team led in hits with 12 and have come up with some big knocks for the Tigers in May.

The veterans of the Detroit Tigers lineup have begun to pick it up as well. Javier Baez has three home runs in the month of May and is playing arguably his best baseball in a Tigers uniform. Eric Haase slugged two home runs against the Mets and is looking like the hitter we know he can be. Even Andy Ibanez, an under the radar pickup this offseason for the Tigers, has been on fire in May. While the offense does not have the big-time sluggers in the middle of the order, the Tigers are getting the job done.

Can the Tigers win their fourth series in a row against a formable Seattle Mariners team?

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Photo Credit: © Joe Nicholson