DETROIT — The Tigers’ bullpen was nearly still as Casey Mize worked through a 30-pitch, three-run fourth inning, just as it was when he had two runners on with two outs in the sixth inning of a one-run contest. The message from manager A.J. Hinch was clear: This was Mize’s game.
As Hinch said before Monday afternoon’s 3-2 loss to the Twins, the only limit on Mize within reason would be the quality of his pitches, not pitch count or workload. Thus, despite a two-out walk to Max Kepler in the sixth, Mize stayed in to face Miguel Sanó with a chance for Minnesota to break the makeup game open.
Like he had most of the afternoon, Mize attacked Sanó — first with sinkers, then with back-to-back sliders. The first slider got the call to put Sanó in a 1-2 count. The second dove off the plate as Sanó chased it for an inning-ending strikeout.
Subtly, Mize pumped his fist as he made his way to the Tigers’ dugout and received Hinch’s end-of-outing handshake. Detroit went on to see its streak of consecutive winning months end at three. But with six quality innings, Mize showed signs of emerging from the other side of his midsummer doldrums and raised hopes of a strong stretch run to his first full Major League season.
Not only did Mize throw his first quality start since July 29, he pitched into the sixth inning for the first time since that outing a month ago. He hasn’t had his innings strictly curtailed since mid-July, but Hinch also wasn’t going to give him a deep pitch count to work out of trouble. Mize’s previous four August starts included two three-homer outings and another with four walks in as many innings.