Hancock bashed by Tigers in Mariners 9-6 loss

SEATTLE, WA -MARCH 31: Starting pitcher Emerson Hancock #26 (2R) of the Seattle Mariners is pulled in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers by manager Dan Wilson (R) during a meeting at the mound with catcher Cal Raleigh #29 (L), second baseman (Stephen Brashear / Getty Images)

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SEATTLE - Emerson Hancock didn't make it out of the first inning in his first start of the season, allowing six runs in ⅔ inning pitched as the Detroit Tigers rolled to a 9-6 win over the Seattle Mariners on Monday night.

Hancock only retired one batter at the plate with the second out recorded coming via a caught stealing. He gave up seven hits with a walk in facing nine batters as Javier Báez's two-run double ended his night quickly after just 39 pitches.

Detroit brought 11 batters to the plate in the first inning before Tayler Saucedo managed to end the bleeding in relief.

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The Mariners scored a run in four consecutive innings to cut into the Tigers' lead, but it wasn't enough to overcome the six-run head start from the opening frame.

A leadoff double by Justyn-Henry Malloy and an RBI single from Kerry Carpenter gave Detroit a quick 1-0 lead. Carpenter was caught stealing on an extremely early jump from first that allowed Hancock to spin and throw to second for an easy out.

Then the parade began.

Riley Greene hit a laser to left field that just cleared the fence into the Tigers' bullpen for a 2-0 lead. Spencer Torkelson singled, and Colt Keith walked to put a pair of runners on. After a flyout to left by Zach McKinstry – the only batter Hancock managed to retire in the outing – Dillon Dingler and Trey Sweney each singled for a pair of RBIs, and Báez's double ballooned the lead to 6-0 as Hancock's night came to a close.

Saucedo walked his first batter before getting Carpenter to groundout to finally end the inning.

Seattle tried to chip away at the Tigers' lead, but a six-run advantage proved prohibitive. Randy Arozarena homered in the second inning, and Luke Raley homered as well in the fourth. Julio Rodríguez drove in a run with an RBI groundout in the third, and Jorge Polanco's RBI single in the fifth drove in Rodríguez.

But Detroit kept adding runs as well. Carpenter's RBI double in the third, and Dingler's RBI single in the fourth kept any Seattle rally at arm's length. Malloy's RBI single in the seventh inning drove in Dingler for an insurance run as the Tigers lead grew to 9-4.

Cal Raleigh hit his first home run of the season off Brant Hurter in the ninth inning to trim the lead to 9-6, but Hurter closed out a three-inning save by striking out Arozarena and getting Polanco to line out to third base.

Detroit managed 18 total hits against Mariners' pitching in the win. Seattle allowed at least 18 hits in a game just once all of last season, also against the Tigers in a 15-1 loss on August 13.

The Source: Original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle.