Detroit's surging bats collide with Seattle's West-leading momentum as Bryan Woo takes the mound in a high-stakes divisional battle defined by recent offensive breakthroughs and playoff history.
The ironic theme of this series is how the Tigers have performed so far in June, considering the last time these two teams met was in the playoffs last year, when Detroit struggled offensively in a way that looked a lot like May.
Seattle comes into Comerica Park in first place, but it has not been a smooth climb. After dropping a series in Kansas City, the Mariners responded by rattling off an eight-game winning streak to close out May, with series wins over the A’s and Diamondbacks.
The Mariners enter Friday night at 33-30 and holding first place in the AL West. They are 8-2 over their last 10 games, 17-13 over their last 30 and have been steady enough on the road at 14-14. Seattle has also played plenty of close games, going 10-12 in one-run games and 4-4 in extra innings.
Detroit comes in at 25-38, but with a much better start to June after sweeping Tampa Bay on the road. The Tigers scored 25 runs in three games against the Rays, winning 10-9, 8-0 and 7-2 after scoring just five total runs in their three-game series against the White Sox to close out May. For a team that went 9-21 over its last 30 games, that kind of offensive stretch was badly needed.
The opener features Bryan Woo against Framber Valdez, a matchup that brings two different recent trends.
Woo enters at 5-3 with a 3.44 ERA over 70.2 innings, with 68 strikeouts, 14 walks and only six home runs allowed. His last start was one of his best of the season, as he held Arizona to two hits over seven scoreless innings with nine strikeouts and no walks. Over his last seven starts, he is 4-1 with a 4.42 ERA, though that number is inflated by rough outings against St. Louis and Kansas City.
Woo has also handled Detroit well in limited work. In two career starts against the Tigers, he has allowed three runs over 13.2 innings with 13 strikeouts and just one walk. His last outing at Comerica Park came on Aug. 14, 2024, when he threw seven scoreless innings and allowed only four hits.
Valdez enters at 2-4 with a 4.39 ERA over 67.2 innings, with 54 strikeouts and 25 walks. His last start came against the White Sox, when he allowed four runs over 6.2 innings in a 7-1 loss. Over his last seven starts, Valdez is 0-3 with a 5.26 ERA, but there have been some solid starts mixed in, including six innings of one-run ball against Baltimore and 6.2 innings of two-run ball against the Mets.
Against Seattle, Valdez has a larger track record. In his last five starts against the Mariners, he is 2-1 with a 3.54 ERA over 28 innings, with 27 strikeouts. The walk total is the number to watch, as he has issued 15 walks in those five starts. Randy Arozarena has also had success against him, posting a 1.092 OPS in 15 plate appearances. Julio Rodríguez has a .787 OPS in 33 plate appearances against Valdez, while J.P. Crawford has been quieter at .624 in 38 plate appearances.
For Detroit’s lineup, Gleyber Torres has the best history against Woo, going into the matchup with a 1.125 OPS in eight plate appearances. Zach McKinstry has also had some success, with a .900 OPS in five plate appearances. Kerry Carpenter, Dillon Dingler, Wenceel Pérez and Jake Rogers are all hitless in small samples against Woo.
The bigger question for Detroit is whether the offense that showed up in Tampa Bay can carry over against a Seattle pitching staff allowing 3.76 runs per game. The Tigers are still averaging just 3.94 runs per game, so the three-game burst against the Rays was encouraging, but now they have to do it against a first-place club with a starter who has already shown he can be efficient against them.
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