It didn’t take long for Detroit’s Nick Matton to get back into the rhythm of things.
Recalled from Triple-A Toledo after the All-Star break, Maton hit a two-run homer and played brilliantly defensively. Tigers beat the host seattle mariners 5-4 Friday Night
That streak continues on Saturday, with Detroit’s All-Star right-hander Michael Lorenzen (3-6, 4.03 ERA) and Seattle’s George Kirby (8-7, 3.09) scheduled to take the mound.
Maton, acquired in an offseason trade with the Philadelphia Phillies, was batting only .163 when he was demoted on June 26.
289 for the Mud Hens with two homers and 10 RBI.
Matton said, “I think the main thing is just to get the confidence back, to have some success.”
Playing second base on Friday, Maton made a diving stop in the fifth inning on a grounder hit by JP Crawford with a runner on third to keep it safe. Tigers‘ a one-run lead, then hit a two-run shot in the seventh to score what proved to be the deciding run.
“Matten went down and did what we told him to do,” Tigers said manager AJ Hinch. “He played a little bit better. He moved around the infield a little bit. I think the mental reset was good for him, and we wanted to honor our word that once we felt he did that, we Were going to bring him back into the fold.
All five of Detroit’s runs came via the long ball, as Kerry Carpenter hit a two-run homer in the first inning and Aqeel Badu added a solo shot off All-Star Luis Castillo in the fifth.
Hinch said, “Getting the win against a quality starting pitcher (it’s satisfying) and we had some really good at-bats, some good defensive plays, and then held on in the end.” “So obviously happy with the result. It’s good to come back with a win and have a chance to win the series (Saturday).”
mariners Won their last three series before the All-Star break – against Tampa Bay, San Francisco and Houston – to get back above .500 and solidify their playoff hopes
But he reverted to a season-long trend on Friday, going 2 for 8 with runners in scoring position and leaving seven on base. Twice he failed to bring a runner home from third base with fewer than two outs.
“It’s a situational-impact thing that we’ve been battling all year,” mariners manager Scott Servais said. “…this is an area that we have talked about a lot and we have not been consistently successful in getting those people involved. It will come back to haunt you
“Not the way we were expecting the homestand to start.”
Kirby has won his last two starts — against Tampa Bay and Houston — and allowed only three earned runs in 13 2/3 innings in the process. Kirby is 1–1 with a 4.00 ERA in his last two starts against Detroit.
Lorenzen broke a four-game losing streak in his most recent start, allowing three hits over five scoreless innings in a 9–0 victory over visiting Oakland. He is 1–2 with an 8.16 ERA in four career starts against Seattle, including three starts.
–Field Level Media