The Tigers’ run hit a wall Wednesday night, and now they’ll try to answer back with the series on the line Thursday in Seattle.
Detroit dropped a 4-2 decision to the Mariners at T-Mobile Park, ending its winning streak in a game that got away after a promising start from the bullpen-day approach. Brenan Hanifee was hit hard, allowing three runs without recording an out, and the Tigers’ offense couldn’t solve Seattle’s pitching.
Now the assignment shifts to left-hander Framber Valdez, who gets the ball in the series finale for Detroit. Valdez opened the month with a strong outing against the Athletics in Sacramento, logging his 11th quality start of the season. He gave up two runs on nine hits and two walks while striking out six over seven innings in an 8-6 win, his sixth victory.
Valdez also saw the Mariners earlier this season, taking the mound against them on June 5 in Detroit. That night, he worked five innings of one-run ball, allowing five hits and two walks while striking out five and hitting a batter. It was his third win of the 2026 campaign in a 7-3 Tigers victory.
Seattle counters with right-hander Bryce Miller, who is trying to shake off a rough July. Outside of a seven-shutout-inning start to the month, Miller posted a 5.48 ERA and 6.28 FIP over four starts.
In that stretch, he gave up 25 hits, including five home runs, along with eight walks, while striking out 12 and hitting one batter across 21 1/3 innings. The result: three losses.
Miller was dominant against Detroit on June 6, when he threw six shutout innings and allowed just one hit and two walks while striking out nine in a 4-0 Mariners win. Thursday’s matchup gives both starters another shot at the same lineup, with Valdez bringing a heavier workload and Miller carrying the sharper strikeout rate.
Here’s how the two pitchers stack up entering the game:
Valdez: 22 games, 120.1 innings, 18.4 K%, 8.1 BB%, 53.5 GB%, 4.14 FIP, 1.3 fWAR
Miller: 13 games, 74.0 innings, 26.1 K%, 4.6 BB%, 36.6 GB%, 3.77 FIP, 1.1 fWAR
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