Tigers 19, Mariners 9: Detroit offense plows through Seattle pitching in blowout win

DETROIT — After a day of rest following a week on the road, the Tigers came home and tore into their first opponents on Tuesday night. With three home runs, 24 hits, and a nine-run fifth inning, Detroit knocked the Mariners and Felix Hernandez out in convincing fashion, with an 19-9 win to start their 10-game homestand.

Jordan Zimmermann continued to struggle but the Tigers’ offense was firing on all cylinders. Three home runs by James McCann, Justin Upton, and Alex Avila combined for five of the seven 16 18 19 (!) runs in the game, and Upton added an RBI double for good measure.

And that was before the fifth inning hit, when Detroit obliterated the Mariners with a nine-run frame. Aided by terrible defense on the Mariners’ part, the Tigers’ bats found every conceivable hole and then some. By the end of the inning, Ian Kinsler had a four-hit day, Andrew Romine and Tyler Collins had three hits, and the Tigers led 16-4.

With such a comfortable lead, Zimmermann remained in the game to eat some innings. He would give up two runs in the fifth (both no-doubt homers) and another run in the sixth, but by then it didn’t matter. But while the Tigers would retain their comfortable lead, it’s still troubling that the opposition scored nine runs off Detroit pitching — four from the bullpen.

ROARS:

The Tigers offense: Everyone got a hit and Victor Martinez doubled. The ball was flying out of the park but the Mariners helped with their poor defense, too.

Dingers: James McCann, Justin Upton, and Alex Avila all hit home runs, giving Tigers fans curly fries on Wednesday.

Ian Kinsler: Had a four-hit day, four runs scored, and two RBI.

McCann: He’s already mentioned, but the guy had a four-RBI day to go with his two hits (one dinger), two runs scored, and a walk.

Tyler Collins: Had his own three-hit day, scored two runs, had three RBI, and walked once.

HISSES:

Jordan Zimmermann: He stunk. Four runs and back-to-back home runs in the fifth after the Tigers had just nailed the Mariners to three runs in the fourth. He also gave up runs in the fifth and sixth but by then the offense had given them an Anibal Sanchez-proofed game (not that they used him).

The bullpen: It’s a blowout, that is not in contention. That the bullpen continued to struggle with command is concerning. Kyle Ryan couldn’t throw strikes and Alex Wilson had to be brought into a 10-run lead game. That’s not just less than ideal. That’s a red flag — especially when the Tigers still won’t bring Sanchez into a game with that comfortable of a lead.

STREAKS AND INFO:

• Avila and Upton’s back-to-back home runs marked the first time this season the Tigers have hit consecutive homers. The last time they hit back-to-back homers was on July 24, 2016 when Tyler Collins and Jarrod Saltalamacchia did so.
• It was just the second time in Kinsler's career that he had a four-hit day and also had four runs scored and two RBI. Last: April 15, 2009.
• The Tigers scored 13-or-more runs in consecutive games for the first time since Aug. 10-12, 1993 when they had three straight games of 15, 15, and 17 runs scored.
• The last time the Tigers scored 19 runs and had 24 hits was on July 21, 2008 against the Royals. They also scored the same number of runs on May 24 (vs. Twins) and April 23 (vs. Rangers) of that year.
• The Tigers’ and Mariners’ combined 38 hits tied the Comerica Park record. It last happened on April 13, 2006 against the White Sox. They set a new record for combined hits when Jarrod Dyson got a two-out hit in the ninth. Jean Segura then got a hit and scored a run. But it should have been over ...

• James McCann’s home run was his fifth of the year, and his second against right-handed pitching.

Avila’s home run was absolutely destroyed: