Troy Melton did not allow a run. Everything else was secondary. Detroit turned a taut early game into a laugher, closing it out with a four-run ninth inning for an 8-0 win over Seattle at T-Mobile Park.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DET | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 13 | 0 |
| SEA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
Melton was the story before the Tigers ever broke the game open. He worked 7.0 innings, allowing three hits and no runs while walking two and striking out four on 97 pitches, improving to 7-1 with a 1.58 ERA. The Mariners never had an answer, managing just four hits total against Detroit's pitching and committing an error that helped open the scoring.
Detroit's first run came without a clean swing. In the third inning, Riley Greene reached on an infield single to shortstop and Gleyber Torres scored on a throwing error by shortstop Colt Emerson, with Dillon Dingler also reaching safely on the same error. Colt Keith followed with a single that scored both Dingler and Greene, making it 3-0. Greene added a solo homer to center in the fifth for a 4-0 lead. The Tigers then broke the game open in the ninth: Kevin McGonigle grounded out to score Javier Baez, Torres homered to left center to bring in Zach McKinstry, and Dingler capped the inning with a solo homer to right center, pushing the score to 8-0.
Emerson Hancock took the loss for Seattle, allowing 4 runs (3 earned) over 6.0 innings with eight hits, two walks and six strikeouts, falling to 6-6. The Mariners' bullpen then surrendered four more runs over three innings in the decisive ninth, with Colt Emerson going hitless in three at-bats as Seattle's lineup found no rhythm against Melton and the Tigers' relief corps, which covered the final two innings without allowing a run.
Detroit has won four straight and improved to 55-58. Seattle, now on a one-game skid, fell to 55-59.