The Tigers didn’t just wake up Saturday night and grab a win in Anaheim. They took control from the jump, rode Tarik Skubal’s gem, and finished off the Angels 7-0 to lock up their first series victory since the All-Star break.
Now the only thing left is the sweep.
AJ Hinch will hand the ball to right-hander Casey Mize on Sunday, and the setup is pretty clear. Detroit has already handled Los Angeles once this season with Mize on the mound, and the Tigers are trying to close out the road trip with another clean finish.
Mize enters after a mixed stretch. He had put together a pair of quality starts before a rough outing in Detroit heading into the Midsummer Classic, when he gave up four runs, three earned, on five hits and two walks while striking out five Philadelphia Phillies. That start was his sixth loss of the season.
His earlier meeting with the Angels never really got a chance to breathe. Mize was pulled after four shutout innings because of right groin tightness, but he had been sharp before leaving, allowing just two hits and a walk while striking out six. Detroit still won that game 4-0.
Los Angeles will counter with right-hander Ryan Johnson, who has had a tough time in his second year in the majors. In July, the 23-year-old has made two starts and posted a 5.00 ERA and 7.21 FIP, giving up three homers, four walks and seven strikeouts across nine innings. The Angels lost both of those games.
The Tigers have the edge on paper, and Sunday’s matinee gives them a chance to turn Saturday’s shutout into a full sweep.
In Other News...
Casey Mize Update Leaves Tigers Fans With Familiar Rotation Anxiety
Casey Mizes latest exit gave the Tigers another uneasy reminder of how thin the margin can be in a rotation built to hold up over a long season. The right-hander was pulled after 3.1 innings when a come-backer led to a wrist issue, and manager A.J. Hinch said the early read is encouraging enough to keep Mize in day-to-day territory, with the wrist expected to be fine.
The bigger concern for Detroit is the other part of the update, because Mize has already had to deal with groin tightness twice this season. The Tigers are planning further evaluation before they decide what his availability looks like for the next turn through the rotation, and for a staff that has already had to manage plenty of moving pieces, that is the kind of uncertainty that tends to linger. [Read more 🡒]
Former Tigers Castoff Is Already Twisting The Knife In Boston
Jahmai Jones did not stay in Detroit long enough to leave much of a mark, but the Tigers still had to watch him move on after they designated him for assignment and shipped him to Boston for a player to be named later. It was the kind of roster churn that barely registers in real time, especially for a player who had been struggling to produce for Detroit since late May.
Then came the Red Sox debut, and Jones immediately made it feel bigger than a routine move. He was productive right away against a Boston club that has been surging, and the contrast with his recent stretch in Detroit was hard to miss for anyone who had been waiting for his bat to wake up. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Draft Class Just Shook Up A Farm System Fans Thought They Knew
The Tigers farm system got a fresh jolt after the MLB Draft, with Baseball America folding 20 new prospects into its updated top 30 and immediately reshaping how the organizations depth chart looks. Cameron Flukey, Detroits first-round pick, landed at No. 4, while Evan Dempsey came in at No. 8, giving the club a pair of newcomers near the top of the list right away.
Will Adams and Tyson LeBlanc also broke into the rankings, a sign that this draft class did more than just add volume. With multiple draftees pushing into prominent spots, the bigger question now is how quickly the Tigers can turn this wave of new talent into real movement through the system. [Read more 🡒]