Bryce Miller one-hit the Tigers over six innings of work, while Keider Montero had a bit of a rough day on the mound. The Tigers’ bats were quiet all afternoon, failing to take advantage of good work from their bullpen, as the Mariners evened the series at a game apiece with a 4-0 victory on Saturday afternoon at Comerica Park.

This duel between young starters saw them each fire a 1-2-3 first inning. Keider Montero popped up Cole Young, and then Kevin McGonigle made a nice diving play on a Julio Rodriguez grounder up the middle. The throw appeared just a hair late, but Rodriguez was called out and while the replay seemed to indicate otherwise, the Mariners challenge was denied. Gleyber Torres and Kevin McGonigle worked Bryce Miller through a pair of long at-bats, but the Tigers didn’t get a baserunner either against the impressive right-hander.

In the second Montero walked Randy Arozarena to start the inning. Luke Raley sent a ball to left field, but Riley Greene got a good read on it and made a pretty spectacular diving catch. Dominic Canzone was next, and in a 2-2 count, Montero dropped a swingback changeup just inside. Dillon Dingler made a rare mistake by challenging it, and then Canzone hit a ball to the wall and over Matt Vierling’s head in center field. The ball kicked back into Vierling’s leg and stuck under the base of the wall for a moment while Vierling lost sight of it. Arozarena raced around to score as Canzone cruised into second with a double.

Patrick Wisdom got a good swing off as well, cranking a ball to center field, but Vierling ran it down for the second out. Colt Emerson was next, and he flew out in foul territory down the left field line to end the frame. 1-0 Mariners.

Kerry Carpenter led off the bottom of the second and he nearly cranked a 1-1 offspeed pitch out to right field, but it was just foul and he struck out on a good heater from Miller. The right-hander carved up Riley Greene with a trio of good splitters, then dialed up 98 mph with riding life to blow away Spencer Torkelson.

Montero got Jhonny Perada on a quick ground out to open the third, and Cole Young flew out. He got ahead of Julio Rodriguez, and was on the verge of ending a quick inning, but instead the outfielder poked a fourseamer away out of the zone through the right side of the infield for a single. Josh Naylor smoked the first pitch he saw for a single to right field, and Arozarena jumped on the first pitch he saw as well, and drove a sinker into the right field corner. Rodriguez scored, and the relay in from Pérez to Torkelson to Dingler was just a hair late and Naylor slid in just under the tag. The Tigers challenged that play unsuccessfully, and it was 3-0 Mariners. The replay also showed Naylor throwing his sliding glove at Dingler, presumably to distract him, as he dove for the plate, which didn’t make him any more likable. The heart of the Mariners’ order was seeing Montero’s fastball pretty well. A good knuckle curve whiffed Raley to end the inning.

Colt Keith led off the bottom half, ambushing a high breaking ball and driving it to the wall in right center field for a standup triple. The Mariners decided to crash the infield in, which was surprising under the circumstances. They backed off once Vierling got into a 1-1 count, and he popped out to first. Wenceel Pérez struck out and blew the Tigers second challenge in the process. Torres was blown away by a high fastball to strand Keith at third.

Canzone led off the fourth and immediately added to the Mariners lead with a missile to straightaway center field. 4-0 Mariners. Montero’s fly ball tendencies and minimal strikeouts become a bit of a problem as the weather keeps warming up. Wisdom grounded out and Montero popped Emerson up with a high fastball. Perada slapped a little single through the right side, and that brought the top of the order up again with a runner on base. Fortunately Cole Young flew out weakly to right field.

McGonigle led off the bottom half and Miller pretty much avoided him, issuing a walk. Dillon Dingler hit a 400 footer to left center but Rodriguez ran it down. Carpenter and Miller locked up in a lengthy duel as the right-hander threw everything but the kitchen sink to try and get the Tigers’ right fielder out. Carpenter hit multiple pitches hard but foul and fought off numerous 3-2 pitches. Finally, Miller walked him as McGonigle was thrown out trying to steal second. The Mariners challenged the pitch incorrectly, and so McGonigle had second base anyway and there were two on and one out for Riley Greene, but he grounded into a 3-6-1 double play to end the inning.

Montero got Rodriguez to open the fifth, then yanked a fastball that drilled Naylor in the upper back. It didn’t look intentional, but since it’s Josh Naylor you never know. Montero got Arozarena to ground into a 6-4-3 double play, and Naylor slid into second well inside the bag toward Torres as he turned it over to first. This may bear watching over the rest of the series.

Torkelson flew out to deep left to kick off the bottom half. A high splitter drew a foul tip into the glove from Colt Keith. Miller started yanking fastballs and fell behind 3-0 to Vierling, but he pulled it together and locked up Vierling with good heaters and eventually got a routine ground out to end the fifth.

Since it’s June 6, it’s good to bring you this little interview clip with a 101-year-old WWII veteran.

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Lefty Drew Sommers succeeded Montero in the sixth against a pair of left-handed hitters. He got ahead of Raley, but he still drove a ball to the wall in right center field. Pérez hauled it in for the first out. Sommers’ mid-90’s sinker and low arm angle locked up Canzone for strike three. A 95 mph high fourseamer blew Wisdom away to end the inning. Pretty good stuff from Sommers.

Miller was at 78 pitches to start the bottom of the sixth, and the Tigers really needed to get him out of the game. Pérez helped that cause with a 10 pitch AB, but struck out looking on a heater that may well have been a ball, but the Tigers were out of challenges. Torres took a 1-1 fastball four inches off the plate for a called strike and couldn’t challenge, and then home plate umpire Chris Segal rang up on a breaking ball that was also not particularly close. Gleyber had some calm words for him, but there was no recourse, and McGonigle grounded out to first. Segal continued to have a pretty poor game calling balls and strikes the rest of the way. With Miller at 94 pitches, his day was done, but that was the only positive for the Tigers so far in this one.

Sommers was still on the mound in the seventh with the Tigers down four runs. He dusted Emerson to start the inning. With a stretch of right-handers coming up to bat, A.J. Hinch turned to Ty Madden instead against Perada. Really nice outing from Sommers though. Four straight outs, three by strikeout.

Madden, moving back to the bullpen with Justin Verlander and shortly thereafter, Tarik Skubal returning to the rotation, quickly gave up a single to Perada, and then he hit Cole Young. He bounced back to whiff Rodriguez with a splitter for the second out. Naylor grounded out to Torres to end the frame.

LHP José A. Ferrer took over from Miller in the bottom of the seventh. He immediately walked Dillon Dingler, and then came everyone’s favorite move as Jahmai Jones attempted to pinch-hit for Kerry Carpenter. He failed, popping out, and this has got to stop. We’re at 85 plate appearances. That’s not many, but Jones has been an abject disaster. Riley Greene flew out to deep left center field, and Torkleson was blown away by 99 mph to end the inning. The only knock in this one from the Tigers remained Colt Keith’s triple.

Arozarena led off the eighth with a sharp ground ball that Torres couldn’t quite corral. Madden popped up Luke Raley for the first out. Canzone pulled a grounder past Torres for a single to put two on with one out for Patrick Wisdom. Madden dialed up 96 to blow Wisdom away despite another gift call from the home plate umpire on the first pitch of the at-bat. Madden worked ahead of Emerson, and eventually popped him up to Dingler to end the inning. Pretty good work from Madden, and nice to see the velo popping in a relief role.

Matt Brash took over from Ferrer in the bottom of the eighth. Keith tapped one back to the mound for the first out, and Vierling grounded out to second. Pérez drew a walk to turn the lineup over, and Torres stepped into the box no doubt glad to see someone other than Bryce Miller on the mound. It did him no good, as Brash locked him up with a 98 mph backdoor sinker to send this to the ninth inning.

Perada flew out to Pérez to open the fram, but Cole Young singled up the middle. That brought Rodriguez up, but he flew out to Vierling in center. Madden punched out Naylor to complete a fine relief outing. 2.2 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 0 BB, 3 K.

Lefty Gabe Speier entered in the bottom of the ninth to close the Tigers out. McGonigle started them off with a blooper that parachuted down just fair inside the left field line for a leadoff double. Dingler flew out to center field, but Jones drew a walk. Unfortunately, Riley Greene grounded into a double play to end it.

The series will be decided at 1:40 p.m. ET on Sunday. A pair of struggling right-handers will go toe-to-toe as Jack Flaherty squares off against Luis Castillo. Meanwhile, in West Michigan all eyes will be on Tarik Skubal, as he makes what is hoped to be the only rehab start he’ll require before rejoining the Tigers’ rotation.