SEATTLE — Nick Maton, who started at second base in his return to the Detroit Tigers, looked different when he stepped into the batter's box in the second inning Friday against the Seattle Mariners.
His open stance has disappeared.
There's been a new commitment to a closed stance.
"It just allows him to stay on the ball a lot longer," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said before Friday's game. "We said when he was sent down, the pull-side ball in the air can't be the only threat that you have to contribute offensively.