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Javier Báez blast in 8th gives Detroit Tigers 2-1 win, sweep of Seattle Mariners

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Javier Báez blast in 8th gives Detroit Tigers 2-1 win, sweep of Seattle Mariners


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One swing from an unlikely hero changed the game.

Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Báez, one of the worst hitters in baseball this season, hit a go-ahead, two-run home run with one strike and two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning off Seattle Mariners right-handed reliever Andrés Muñoz.

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The Tigers beat the Mariners, 2-1, in Thursday’s finale of three games at Comerica Park, sweeping the series.

ON THE FARM: Tigers prospect acquired in Jack Flaherty trade already showing how he ‘nukes balls’

Before Báez’s home run, the Tigers (59-63) were shut down by Mariners right-hander Bryce Miller, who lowered his ERA to 3.29 in 24 starts. Miller completed seven scoreless innings on two hits and zero walks with nine strikeouts, throwing 90 pitches.

The Tigers couldn’t get anything started against Miller, but they finally threatened to score in the eighth against right-handed reliever Yimi García. Parker Meadows worked a leadoff walk and advanced to third with two outs.

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The Mariners called on Muñoz for a two-out matchup with Báez.

Báez hit a two-run home run to left-center field.

Four early walks

Right-hander Alex Faedo is a traditional reliever, but he started Thursday’s game against the Mariners as an opener.

Faedo struggled to command his pitches and walked four batters in the first inning, including one with the bases loaded for the game’s only run over its first 7½ innings.

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Faedo, who needed 33 pitches to get three outs, walked Jorge Polanco, Randy Arozarena and Luke Raley in the first inning. With two outs, Justin Turner drew a full-count, bases-loaded walk on a down-and-away slider that he refused to chase.

Kenta Maeda shines again

Right-handed reliever Kenta Maeda, who used to be a traditional starter, performed well in his sixth relief appearance since the Tigers removed him from the rotation.

Maeda, 36, tossed 5⅔ scoreless innings on one hit and one walk with five strikeouts, throwing 84 pitches. He generated 12 whiffs on 40 swings — a 30% whiff rate — with five sliders, two fastballs and five splitters.

He owns a 3.33 ERA with two walks and 21 strikeouts across 24⅓ innings in six relief appearances.

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After Maeda, the Tigers received scoreless performances from right-handed reliever Shelby Miller and right-handed reliever Jason Foley to end the game.

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

Listen to our weekly Tigers show “Days of Roar” every Monday afternoon on demand at freep.com, Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.





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Seattle, WA

Seattle weather: Mostly cloudy skies and mild temperatures Friday

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Seattle weather: Mostly cloudy skies and mild temperatures Friday


It was a beautiful November day for the Pacific Northwest with highs in the upper 50s to low 60s with plenty of sunshine. 

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It was a beautiful November day for the Pacific Northwest with highs in the upper 50s to low 60s with plenty of sunshine. 

Clouds will move in overnight, which will keep temperatures mild into Friday morning. Lows only in the mid to low 40s.

Lows Tonight

Clouds will move in overnight which will keep temperatures mild into Friday morning. 

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Highs will be nice and mild again on Friday, but we will see more cloud cover. Temperatures will remain several degrees above seasonal average.

Tomorrow's Highs

Highs will be nice and mild again Friday, but we will see more cloud cover. 

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Our next round of rain returns Saturday morning along the coast, moving slowly inland by midday. Rain will continue through the evening. 

Rain returns Saturday morning

Our next round of rain returns Saturday morning along the coast, moving slowly inland by midday.  (FOX 13 Seattle)

The skies will get a break from the rain late Saturday through mid-morning Sunday. A stronger round of rain moves in again later Sunday into Monday. Lowland rain, mountain showers and breezy winds will stick around through midweek. 

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Seattle Extended

Skies will get a break from the rain through mid morning Sunday. A stronger round of rain moves in again later Sunday into Monday. 



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Former Seattle Mariners Slugger Teoscar Hernandez Drawing Interest From AL East Clubs

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Former Seattle Mariners Slugger Teoscar Hernandez Drawing Interest From AL East Clubs


A former Seattle Mariners outfielder could be in for a big pay day in free agency.

Former Mariners and recent Los Angeles Dodgers (and 2024 World Series champion) slugger Teoscar Hernandez is in a much better situation in this offseason than last.

After the 2023 season, Hernandez’s only year with the Mariners, the team didn’t give him a qualifying offer, leading him to sign a one-year, $23.5 million deal with the Dodgers in free agency.

Hernandez, who ended up winning the 2024 All-Star Game Home Run Derby, parlayed that deal into a successful season. He batted .272 with 33 home runs and 99 RBIs in 2024. Los Angeles rewarded Hernandez by tendering him a one-year, $21.05 million qualifying offer.

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That move gave the former Seattle outfielder security to fall back on as he tries to find a longer deal in free agency. And according to a recent report from MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, Hernandez could find that home with a contender from the American League East.

According to Morosi, the Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox have both expressed interest in Hernandez, who played in the AL East for the better part of six years as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays from 2017-2022.

As reported in Morosi’s tweet on “X” (formerly known as Twitter), both the Red Sox and Orioles have a similar need for right-handed power.

Hernandez would also likely be used commonly as a designated hitter for both teams. Baltimore’s go-to designated hitter/outfielder from 2024 Anthony Santander is a free agent and Boston’s designated hitter/outfielder Masataka Yoshida is left-handed.

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Hernandez played one year with the Mariners in 2023 and hit .258 with 26 home runs and 93 RBIs.

Hernandez is viewed in many circles as the second-best outfielder available in free agency behind superstar Juan Soto. And that might end up getting Hernandez a contract much bigger than the qualifying offer Los Angeles offered him.

Hernandez has a market value of three years, $71.265 million ($23.8 million AAV), according to Spotrac.

MARINERS FREE AGENT TARGET PRAISED FOR DEFENSIVE ABILITY: A potential free agent target for the Seattle Mariners, Hye-seong Kim, has drawn praise in his home country for his defensive ability. CLICK HERE

MARINERS LINKED TO TOP INTERNATIONAL FREE AGENT: The Seattle Mariners are expected to be busy players when the international signing period starts in January. CLICK HERE

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MARINERS RIVALS CONTINUE TO MAKE MOVES: The Seattle Mariners American League West rivals, the Los Angeles Angels, made another move by signing starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks. CLICK HERE

Continue to follow our Inside the Mariners coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following Teren Kowatsch and Brady Farkas on “X” @Teren_Kowatsch and @wdevradiobrady. You can subscribe to the “Refuse to Lose” podcast by clicking HERE.





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Seahawks Midseason Report Card: How Has Geno Smith Performed?

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Seahawks Midseason Report Card: How Has Geno Smith Performed?


In the midst of their bye week, the Seattle Seahawks find themselves searching for answers in all phases after dropping five of their past six games to plunge into last place in the NFC West.

With nine games down and eight left to play, veteran quarterback Geno Smith has been under fire from some fans amid Seattle’s less-than-desirable start. But is that criticism fair?

Revisiting the first half of the season, how has Smith played in offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb’s offense so far? Midseason report card:

Areas of Strength: Continuing to excel as a deep ball passer, Smith currently ranks tied for first in Pro Football Focus’ Big Time Throw metric on passes traveling 20-plus yards (13) and has thrown six touchdowns on those passes, tied for second most behind only Eagles starter Jalen Hurts. Compared to other signal callers, he stacks up favorably against his peers in most major passing categories, including ranking first in passing yardage, 10th in completion rate, and 12th in yards per attempt.

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Despite being tied for the league lead in interceptions, Smith only ranks 17th in turnover worthy play percentage (2.3 percent), suggesting not all of his picks have been his fault and that a high volume of pass plays has had more to do with that number than anything else. Making his numbers all the more impressive, only four quarterbacks have been pressured at a higher rate (39.6 percent), and his offensive line has been the main culprit with him only being held responsible for four percent of those pressures, the second-lowest rate ahead of only Rams starter Matthew Stafford.

While he hasn’t taken off to run as much as some quarterbacks and the vast majority of his yardage has been on scrambles and not designed run plays, Smith has been effective when tucking and running this season. He currently ranks 13th with 193 rushing yards and has averaged a healthy 5.4 yards per carry, an average bolstered by 10 carries of 10 or more yards, tied for the seventh-most by a quarterback this year.

Areas of Improvement: Though poor pass protection and botched snaps have played a part in Seattle’s struggles in the red zone, Smith deserves his share of the blame for the team struggling to finish drives with touchdowns. According to Pro Football Reference, he currently ranks 26th among quarterbacks with at least 10 pass attempts inside the opposing 20-yard line with a 51.5 percent completion rate and he’s been especially inaccurate inside the 10-yard line, completing just three out of 17 passes with three touchdowns and two interceptions.

When pressured, Smith has been hindered by sometimes questionable decision making and trying to do too much shouldering the load in a one-dimensional offense lacking a consistent run game. On 153 pressured drop backs, he has thrown a league-worst nine interceptions, three more than the next player (Kirk Cousins) on the list. With just five touchdown passes on those plays and under six yards per attempt, his 49.2 passer rating when pressured ranks 26th out of 27 qualified quarterbacks.

Midseason Grade: B+

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Fans can bemoan some of the interceptions Smith has thrown, but based on a myriad of stats, no quarterback has been dealt a worse hand when it comes to shaky pass protection and constant pressure. Somehow, he ranks 16th in sack to pressure ratio despite being under persistent duress, and the fact he ranks in the top 10 in completion rate, yardage, and Big Time Throws in such an environment shows he deserves a hell of a lot more respect than he’s been receiving with circumstances around him being far from ideal.

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Seahawks Report Card: Top Performers in 26-20 Loss to Rams

‘We’re On Our Way’: Seahawks Stress Patience Amidst Rough Stretch



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