The Tigers are rolling, and Saturday gives them another chance to keep the streak alive with a series win over the Phillies.
Detroit has won six straight and nine of its last 10, a run that looks even more striking after the club managed only six wins in May. Over the past month or so, both the rotation and the lineup have been driving the surge, and Casey Mize gets the ball with Cristopher Sanchez on the other side for Philadelphia.
Sanchez has been a tougher matchup in theory than in recent form. Over his last seven starts, he has given up 43 knocks and 22 earned runs, and his most recent outing turned ugly fast, with nine runs crossing in barely three innings. Even so, his season line still compares closely with Mize’s in one key area: both carry ERAs in the 2.60 range.
The rest of the numbers tilt toward Sanchez. He has more wins, fewer losses and nearly twice as many strikeouts, though Mize has thrown far fewer innings after spending time on the injured list. That gap in workload matters here, especially with Detroit’s offense backing him the way it has lately.
That lineup just hung 10 runs on Aaron Nola, and if it brings anything close to that kind of production again, the Tigers will be in good shape to finish the job and set up a possible sweep Sunday with Tarik Skubal scheduled to start.
Detroit also welcomed Dillon Dingler back into the mix. He didn’t go on the injured list, but he missed a few games after taking a foul ball off his hand. On Saturday, he’ll serve as the designated hitter, while Eduardo Valencia makes the first start of his career behind the plate.
Before the lineup was even posted, the Tigers made a roster move of their own, claiming right-handed reliever Andre Granillo off waivers from the Washington Nationals and optioning him to Triple-A Toledo. Detroit’s 40-man roster now sits at 40 players.
Granillo does not look like an immediate bullpen fix, though. His major league work in May came with an ERA above 8.00 over his last seven games, so this is not the kind of move that suddenly changes the Tigers’ deadline outlook.
And that’s the bigger backdrop here. The bullpen has been a problem all year, even as the offense has caught fire and pulled the team back into the race after that miserable May.
Detroit has clawed its way back into playoff contention, but there’s no room to coast now. Every game matters in the push back toward .500.
In Other News...
Tigers First Round Track Record Looks Very Different Than Fans Think
The Tigers first-round draft story has not followed the tidy script many fans might assume when they hear about a wave of premium picks. A look back from 2022 through 2025 shows a front office that has mixed upside, patience and a few uncomfortable questions, with Jordan Yost, Bryce Rainer, Max Clark and Jace Jung all sitting at very different points on the development curve. Some are still climbing through the minors, some have already reached the majors, and the overall picture is less about one clean success story than a collection of separate bets still being sorted out.
Jordan Yost, the clubs 2025 first-rounder, is already drawing a C+ grade and leaving observers to wonder what Detroit sees in him. Clark remains in Triple-A, where the Tigers want him to keep developing while also preserving his PPI eligibility for 2027, even as the big-league temptation grows louder. And with the 2026 MLB Draft approaching, Detroit will have four picks after forfeiting its third-round selection by signing Framber Valdez, a reminder that the pipeline is still being shaped not just by who the Tigers choose, but by the roster decisions that come before the draft board ever turns. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Just Took Another Bullpen Flier Fans Will Want To Track
The Tigers added another arm to the bullpen mix by claiming right-hander Andre Granillo off waivers from the Nationals and sending him to Triple-A. It is the sort of low-risk move Detroit has made plenty of times as it keeps searching for usable pitching depth, and Granillo brings a little more intrigue than the usual waiver pickup because he has already reached the majors this season and now occupies a spot on the 40-man roster.
Granillo also arrives with some real pedigree, having once been considered a notable Cardinals prospect before St. Louis moved him to Washington earlier this year. The immediate assignment to Triple-A suggests the Tigers want to see more before giving him a longer look, but his track record and the fact that he has already opened this season in the big leagues make him one of those names worth following if Detroit needs another bullpen option later on. [Read more 🡒]
Tigers Are Rolling And This Phillies Win Changed The Feeling Fast
The Tigers wasted no time turning a tight game into a loud one Friday night at Comerica Park, burying the Phillies 10-2 in the opener of a three-game series. Detroits offense broke through in a big sixth inning, then kept stacking on runs in the seventh, with Eduardo Valencia, Zach McKinstry, James Outman, Colt Keith and Spencer Torkelson all part of the surge that changed the tone fast.
Jack Flaherty helped set the stage by giving Detroit six innings and allowing two runs, giving the club another steady start to lean on as the lineup came alive behind him. The bigger question now is whether this was just one of those nights where everything clicked, or another sign that the Tigers are starting to look a lot more dangerous when a game gets into the middle innings. [Read more 🡒]