First pitch is 12:10 PM CT (1:10 PM ET) at Comerica, and the pitching matchup is the headline. Bryce Miller (1-0, 1.71) walks into the lion's den as one of the hottest arms in baseball since his May 13 return from an oblique strain, while Keider Montero (2-3, 3.69) has quietly turned into a steady mid-rotation piece for a banged-up Detroit staff.
Both guys are coming off May 31 no-decisions where they basically did not allow anything. Miller spun 5 shutout innings on 71 pitches with 6 K's and 1 hit against Arizona. Montero matched him with 6 shutout frames on 65 pitches against the White Sox. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch yanked Montero early that day despite him cruising, which tells you the leash is short and the bullpen is going to get involved either way.
The Mariners are 33-31 and still hold first place in the AL West, but Friday's 7-3 loss snapped a stretch where they had won 3 in a row. Kerry Carpenter's two-run shot off Bryan Woo in the third opened the floodgates, and Gleyber Torres added 3 hits. Detroit, at 26-38, has now won 4 straight and is suddenly a real problem at home despite a rotation that's missing Tarik Skubal, Casey Mize, Jackson Jobe, Reese Olson, and Justin Verlander.
The injury column is where this thing gets messy for Seattle. Cal Raleigh is on the 10-day IL with an oblique and just started a rehab assignment at High-A Everett. J.P. Crawford's hand X-rays came back negative after Friday but he's day-to-day. Brendan Donovan and Will Wilson are still out. Detroit has its own pile, but they've been winning through it for a week.
- Day-To-DayJ.P. Crawford SS — X-rays on Crawford's hand came back negative following Friday's loss to Detroit, Tim Booth of The Seattle Times reports.
- Day-To-DayTeddy McGraw SP — McGraw is working his way back from right elbow issues, Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline reports.
- 10-Day-ILCal Raleigh C — Raleigh (oblique) will begin a rehab assignment with High-A Everett on Sunday, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILBrendan Donovan 3B — Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said Sunday that Donovan will receive a platelet-rich plasma injection for his strained left groin as well as his adductor and is expected to resume baseball activity in 2-to-3 weeks, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILWill Wilson 3B — The Mariners placed Wilson on the 10-day injured list Saturday due to a fractured left thumb.
- 60-Day-ILMiles Mastrobuoni 3B — Mastrobuoni (calf) began a rehab assignment Monday with the Mariners' Arizona Complex League affiliate, going 0-for-2 with a 1:1 K:BB.
- 60-Day-ILLogan Evans SP — The Mariners placed Evans (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Monday.
- 60-Day-ILCarlos Vargas RP — Vargas (lat) has suffered a setback in his recovery, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
- Day-To-DayDugan Darnell RP — The Tigers announced Sunday that Darnell (hip) has been playing catch five times a week and is also taking part in a running progression, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
- Day-To-DayJosue Briceno C — Briceno said Friday that he expects to be sidelined a few months after having surgery Wednesday to repair a tendon in his right wrist, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
- 10-Day-ILJavier Baez SS — Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Tuesday that Baez (ankle) has been shut down from baseball activities for an unspecified length of time, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
- 15-Day-ILTarik Skubal SP — Skubal (elbow) will make a rehab start with High-A West Michigan on Sunday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILKenley Jansen RP — Jansen (pelvis) is throwing a bullpen session ahead of Friday's game against the Mariners, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
- 15-Day-ILCasey Mize SP — Mize (adductor) tossed a bullpen session Tuesday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
- 15-Day-ILBurch Smith RP — Smith has been diagnosed with right shoulder soreness and received a cortisone injection Friday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
- 60-Day-ILTrey Sweeney SS — Sweeney will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery this week, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.
Pinnacle has the Mariners at -129 with the Tigers a live home dog at +117 and the total sitting at 8.5. That's a pretty tight price given how Miller is throwing right now — his fastball is sitting 96.7 mph and his strikeout rate is at a career high. If Detroit can grind him into pitch-count trouble the way Seattle's bullpen has been used recently, the home dog price makes sense. If Miller's first inning looks like his last 4 starts, the under is in play in a hurry.