The News’ Tony Paul gives his quick takes on the Tigers’ 4-0 loss to the Mariners on Saturday:
One thing I loved
Hey, at least the Tigers didn’t get no-hit. That’s something.
The Tigers managed just two hits in Saturday’s loss to Seattle as Detroit’s blazing-hot offense came to a screeching halt against Mariners right-hander Bryce Miller. He allowed one hit in six brilliant innings.
The Tigers haven’t been no-hit since the last day of the 2013 regular season, when Henderson Alvarez of the Marlins did the honors in Miami. The Tigers still haven’t been no-hit at Comerica Park, which opened in 2000.
It was Colt Keith (of all people, a surprise, given his serious struggles at the plate) who made sure the Tigers got a stick in the hit column with his triple to center field leading off the third inning. It was just the 10th extra-base hit of the season for Keith, and just his third since the start of May. Keith continues to search for his first homer of 2026. That was the only hit by the Tigers until Kevin McGonigle led off the ninth with a bloop double.
The Tigers have been no-hit 14 times in their history, including once by the Mariners, when a young left-hander (and future Hall-of-Famer) named Randy Johnson did it at the old Kingdome in Seattle on June 2, 1990. That Tigers lineup included the likes of Alan Trammell, Cecil Fielder, and the late Chet Lemon and Tony Phillips.
The Tigers were held to two hits in a game for the second time this season.
One thing I didn’t
This is the problem for the Tigers.
As great as they started June — 4-0, and hitting the cover off the ball — they dug themselves such a mammoth hole in May, that with just the one loss Saturday, they’re back to 13 games under .500.
They’re basically in a position where they can’t lose many, if any, series over the next month-and-a-half if they’re going to have a legitimate case to be anything but sellers at the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
I know the American League is bad. I know there are only five AL teams over .500, and six make the playoffs. But I’m not convinced that just being on the outer fringes of wild-card contention as late July approaches is going to be enough incentive for Tigers president Scott Harris to hold on to ace and uber-valuable trade chip Tarik Skubal.
The Tigers’ margin for error is miniscule, even with 97 games to go.
Three stars
(Season total in parentheses)
Keider Montero (2)
Colt Keith (10)
Dominic Canzone
Player of the game
Bryce Miller — In each of his last three starts, he’s allowed exactly one hit, going at least five innings in each.
Tigers’ ABS tracker
Next Tigers game
Game 66: Mariners at Tigers, 1:40 p.m. Sunday, Detroit SportsNet, 97.1
ICYMI: Yesterday’s Tigers recap
tpaul@detroitnews.com
@tonypaul1984
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit Tigers, Game 65: One thing I loved, one thing I didn’t
Reporting by Tony Paul, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Tony Paul, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
