The Mariners aren't able to Sweep the Tigers, But it's Still a Series Win

The Mariners won the series against the Tigers but did not sweep them. The offensive players seemed to take Scott Servais' idea seriously about not trying too hard and won the first two games with hits of all types: singles, doubles, a triple from Jarred Kelenic, and home runs! They continued this approach in Game 3 but less consistently.

Julio Rodriguez seemed more at ease batting third or fourth in the lineup. J.P. Crawford excelled batting first. I think that encouraging players to hit singles and doubles rather than trying for homeruns makes sense and reduced pressure on all the players. Of course, a two-run homerun from Rodriguez in the first game and the ones from Kelenic and Hernandez in the second game were awesome! (I suspect that Hernandez realized that Kelenic had one more homerun than he did so he evened it up; now, both have hit eight!)

The third game resembled the previous games. Instead of initial hits encouraging batters to catch the spirit and continue hitting in the same inning, men were left on base a number of times. I am unsure as to the reason for the difference - the players in the lineup or another factor. After walking two players and hitting a third, the Tigers took advantage of the opportunities and scored two more runs. Brash had high-velocity pitches but he lost control of the strike zone.

The Mariners' starting pitchers - Gonzales, Miller, and Gilbert - did top-notch pitching. The Tigers would have scored more runs had they not used their skills so effectively. The bullpen pitched superbly.

Bryce Miller stands out in Mariners' and MLB history. He has an ERA of 0.47. He finished the second game, allowing three hits and no runs in seven innings. He allowed fewer runs than King Felix Hernandez in his first three games. In those three games, he allowed only eight batters on base, and that has not happened in MLB since 1901. Mariners pitchers wow us regularly. Miller's rookie accomplishments are even a step above!

On to Boston!