Like many of our friends throughout the SB Nation network, we are simulating the 2020 MLB season with MLB The Show 20. While we are unable to stream the games as they would otherwise be happening, we will try to get ahead of the curve and post about the games on the same day they would have taken place. Or, you know, at least get them back on schedule. Now, onto the recap!
The Seattle Mariners pounded out 17 hits as a team against Detroit Tigers pitching on Wednesday evening, and broke the game open late en route to a 6-1 victory that wasn’t as close as the score indicates. Casey Mize was able to keep the Mariners at bay through six innings, but Jose Cisnero and the bullpen eventually caved, evening the three-game series.
This one unfolded in a very strange way. The two offenses were held scoreless for the first six innings, but not for lack of effort on Seattle’s part. They collected eight hits against Casey Mize in his six frames, but could not come through with that big hit with runners on base. His innings largely followed the same pattern: collect one or two easy outs, allow a soft-hit single or two to put runners on, then shut the door to keep things scoreless. He didn’t allow much hard contact throughout the evening, and most of it was directed at Tigers fielders.
Detroit’s bullpen was not so fortunate. Jose Cisnero came on in the seventh and retired the first batter he faced, but did not record another out. Four consecutive singles — one of which only traveled about 20 feet from home plate — brought home two runs, breaking the scoreless tie. Lefthander Gregory Soto came on to face Daniel Vogelbach, but the beefy first baseman came through anyway, hitting a two-run double to extend Seattle’s lead to 4-0. Carlos Gonzalez followed with a single because I can’t get him out, but Kyle Seager grounded into a double play to end the threat.
The Tigers offense, meanwhile, was nonexistent throughout the entire game. They collected just two hits, and their lone run came via a Christin Stewart homer to lead off the bottom of the seventh. Even after reliever-turned-starter Sam Tuivailala threw far too many pitches, he continued to generate weak contact with a firm fastball he moved all around the strike zone. Stewart’s homer ended Tuivailala’s day, but Seattle’s bullpen was up to the task, holding Detroit’s offense without another hit for the rest of the night. The Mariners added two more runs in the ninth for good measure, but the Tigers lineup went down quickly against starter-turned-reliever Nestor Cortes Jr. — seriously, I have no idea what the game is doing with that roster — to end the game.
Up next
The Tigers have one more game remaining in their series against the Mariners before they head out on a west coast road trip. They will face off against the Arizona Diamondbacks over the weekend, then head to Oakland for a three-game set next week.