Detroit Tigers swept by Seattle Mariners in the final series before the MLB All-Star break, with the bullpen allowing 6 runs in 4 innings.
The good news for the Detroit Tigers is that they have the best record in baseball (59-38) heading into the All-Star break.
The bad news is that they enter the All-Star break with a four-game losing streak, their longest of the season, after getting swept at home by the Seattle Mariners.
Despite a solid start from right-hander Jack Flaherty, the Tigers lost to the Mariners on Sunday, July 13, 8-4, after late-inning breakdowns from relievers Tommy Kahnle and Will Vest.
Kahnle gave up back-to-back solo home runs to lead off the ninth inning, the first to pinch hitter Gregory Polanco and the second to second baseman Cole Young, to make the score 6-4.
An RBI double from Mariners center fielder Julio Rodríguez made the score 7-4, while an errant throw down to third base from catcher Dillon Dingler allowed Rodríguez to score and make it 8-4.
The Tigers had a 4-3 lead entering the eighth inning before Vest walked three and allowed the game-tying run on a double from Mariners left fielder Randy Arozarena, eventually loading the bases with no outs on the precipice of a game-blowing inning.
However, a shallow fly ball from Mariners catcher Mitch Garver and a double-play off the bat of right fielder Dominic Canzone kept the game knotted at 4-4.
Vest hadn’t given up a run in nearly a month, his last coming in a three-run outing in an 8-4 Tigers loss against the Cincinnati Reds on June 15.
But as it did all weekend against the Mariners, the Tigers bullpen gave up run after run in the three-game sweep.
Bullpen spoils seventh-inning comeback
With the Tigers down 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Tigers designated hitter Gleyber Torres drove in shortstop Javier Báez from third base with a sacrifice fly to right-center field, tying the game and marking the three-time All-Star's 45th RBI.
Four pitches later, left fielder Riley Greene sent a towering solo home run in the same direction, giving the Tigers the 4-3 lead on his 24th homer of the season.
The seventh-inning offensive outburst was necessitated by the Mariners taking their first lead of the game earlier in the inning. With the game tied at 2-2, Mariners catcher Mitch Garver did his best Cal Raleigh impression, hitting a solo home run to lead off the inning and give the Mariners a 3-2 lead.
It didn't matter in the end, however, with the Mariners completing the sweep with their own late-inning comeback.
Flaherty gives up two runs in five innings
Flaherty got into some early trouble after Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford led off the game with a single to right field. He then walked Rodríguez and Raleigh to load the bases before striking out Arozarena for the first out of the inning.
A broken-bat line drive from first baseman Luke Raley bailed Flaherty out, however, with Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson snatching the ball out of the air and doubling up Rodríguez with a throw to second base to keep the Mariners off the scoreboard.
Despite the nervy first inning, Flaherty was mostly effective through the rest of his outing, striking out seven batters and allowing four hits in five innings pitched. Two of those hits, however, exited the ballpark, further showcasing Flaherty’s struggles limiting hard contact in 2025.
The Mariners first scored in the top of the third inning, with Rodríguez hitting a two-out, solo home run to make the score 2-1. The Mariners star hit a home run in all three games against the Tigers this series, registering his 12th, 13th and 14th home runs of the season over the weekend.
Arozarena tied up the game on Flaherty’s first pitch of the fourth inning with a solo home run, his 17th of the year, to make the game 2-2. Flaherty also gave up two walks in his five innings, but limited the damage to those home runs.
After allowing seven and eight earned runs in back-to-back starts on June 14 and 20, Flaherty has pitched more steadily, allowing no more than three earned runs in each of his last four starts. It was also the 10th time this season that Flaherty has pitched at least five innings while allowing two or fewer runs, now achieving that mark in back-to-back starts after a strong outing in a 4-2 Tigers win against the Tampa Bay Rays on July 8.
Gilbert keeps Tigers bats quiet
Much like the Mariners, the Tigers also got a first-inning scoring opportunity. Unlike the Mariners, however, they didn’t waste it.
With two outs and runners on second and third base, Dingler smacked a line drive off the left field wall, scoring Torres from second base and a hustling Torkelson from first. It was also the first Tigers hit of the day, as Torres reached via a throwing error to first base from Raley and Torkelson reached via a walk.
That was their only real offensive output until the seventh inning.
Seattle starter Logan Gilbert settled down after a two-run first inning, striking out nine batters and allowing two unearned runs in 5⅓ innings of work. The 6-foot-6 Gilbert didn’t allow a Tigers player to reach past second base after the first inning, the closest player being Torres during an eventful (but scoreless) third inning for the Tigers.
The Tigers hit three singles in the bottom of the third but couldn’t bring in a run, as Torres (who led off the inning with a single) was thrown out trying to reach third base on Riley Greene’s hard-struck single to left-center field.
The Torres single extended his career-high on-base streak to 25 games, which also stands as the active high in the American League.
Detroit combined for one hit (another Torres single) in the fourth and fifth innings, knocking out Gilbert after a one-out walk to third baseman Zach McKinstry in the sixth.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tigers game: Bullpen blows late lead, Mariners sweep with 8-4 win
Category: Baseball
