Suddenly, being a Detroit Tigers fan is fun again! Who knows how long it will last, but the Olde English D is coming off a three-game sweep of the best team in the American League, the Tampa Bay Rays — at Tropicana Field, no less.
AJ Hinch and Co. look to keep things rolling back at home this weekend against the Seattle Mariners starting on Friday night. Left-hander Framber Valdez will start in the opener looking for the team’s first win in one of his outings since the end of April, having lost in each of his past five appearances.
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The 32-year-old did throw two quality starts in that stretch, but an anemic offense failed to provide sufficient run support. The bats must have received a heavy dose of iron since June began, having scored 25 runs this month so far, which bodes well for the Motor City Kitties moving forward.
Valdez faced Seattle thrice last season with the Houston Astros, throwing a pair of quality starts in his first two, allowing just one run over 12 innings of work. However, he got shelled in the third, serving up five runs over 4 2/3 frames of work.
For the Mariners, right-hander Bryan Woo will toe the rubber coming off what was arguably his best start of the season last time out against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The 26-year-old threw seven shutout innings, allowing two hits and no walks while striking out nine en route to his fifth win of the 2026 campaign.
The last time Woo faced Detroit was back on Aug. 8, 2024, when he allowed three runs on five hits and one walk while striking out seven over 6 2/3 innings; his efforts resulted in a no-decision in the 4-3 win for Seattle that day.
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Here is a look at how they match up on Friday night.
Detroit Tigers (25-38) vs. Seattle Mariners (33-30)
Time (ET):Â 6:40 p.m.
Place:Â Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan
SB Nation Site: Lookout Landing
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 64: LHP Framber Valdez (2-4, 4.39 ERA) vs. RHP Bryan Woo (5-3, 3.44 ER)
Player
G
IP
K%
BB%
GB%
FIP
fWAR
Valdez
12
67.2
18.3
8.5
47.6
4.18
0.7
Woo
12
70.2
24.4
5.0
35.1
2.96
1.9
VALDEZ
WOO
