Detroit Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris was asked during the All-Star break if his team, which was 11 games under .500, would be a seller at the trade deadline.
“If we get hot out of the break, it’s going to change our approach,” Harris said Wednesday on 97.1 The Ticket. “We are going to be responsive to the way the team is playing heading into the deadline. We’re going to try to make the best decisions we can for the organization.”
Kerry Carpenter and the rest of the Tigers appeared to take notice of the boss’ words.
Carpenter homered twice Saturday and All-Star Michael Lorenzen allowed two hits over 6 2/ 3 innings as Detroit cruised to a 6-0 win over the host Seattle Mariners.
The Tigers will go for a sweep of the three-game series when it concludes Sunday afternoon in Seattle.
“I think we can send a message and come out hot and make some noise, hopefully,” Carpenter said. “We’re just going to do all we can to win games.”
Carpenter also homered in the team’s 5-4 victory on Friday night.
“He has a plan,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said of Carpenter. “He works it, he puts up a pretty good at-bat and nights like (Saturday) are obviously why we love him.”
The Tigers are just five games back in the middling American League Central, in which the Minnesota Twins (47-46) are the only team above .500.
“My level of expectation doesn’t center around what we’re going to do (at the trade deadline),” Hinch said. “My level of expectation is about playing these guys. I’m obviously aware of where we’re at and what is possible, but I also know what we can make a strong statement by playing better in the last couple of weeks and giving the organization something to think about in our division this time of year.”
The Mariners won seven of their nine games before the All-Star break to bolster their playoff hopes. The team could be in selling mode, however, unless it can make a strong push before the deadline.
“Not what we were looking for coming back out of the break,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “Last couple nights have been a struggle. We got beat. They outpitched us, they outhit us, they outplayed us.
“Unfortunately, it’s kind of a recurring theme here throughout the year. We’ll put a good run together and play really good for seven, eight, 10 days and then we don’t follow it up. We just can’t sustain it.”
Sunday’s scheduled pitching matchup features a pair of rookie right-handers in Detroit’s Reese Olson (1-2, 4.05 ERA) and Seattle’s Bryce Miller (5-3, 3.97).
Olson, who will be facing the Mariners for the first time, has allowed one earned run or fewer in each of his past four appearances, the last two of those in long relief.
Miller is set to be activated from the injured list after dealing with a blister on his right middle finger. He defeated the Tigers 5-0 on May 13 in Detroit, allowing three hits over seven scoreless innings.
–Field Level Media
