Mize twirls another gem as 'incredible' breakout year continues

CLEVELAND -- This is the type of consistent production the Tigers hoped to get out of Casey Mize when they drafted him first overall in 2018. It took plenty of perseverance and patience to get there, from Mize himself to the coaching staff to a new front office. But it’s here.

“I’ve seen Casey evolve,” catcher Jake Rogers said after Mize’s seven scoreless innings allowed Spencer Torkelson’s 20th home run to stand in a 1-0 win over the Guardians on Saturday night at Progressive Field.

“I first caught him in Double-A in 2019. We’ve been together for a while. I’ve known Casey for a while. We’ve been through ups and downs together, and we had [Tommy John surgery] kind of at the same time in ‘22. We’ve yelled at each other, and we’ve been the best of friends for a long time. He’s truly a great guy, and to see him have this success makes me happy for him.”

Lost in Tarik Skubal’s emergence from former ninth-round pick in Mize’s Draft to Cy Young winner, Mize looks more like a solid No. 2 starter with each stingy outing. They’re not all flashy, but they’re effective. And with a Tigers staff in flux for over a month, from Jackson Jobe’s Tommy John surgery to Reese Olson’s ring finger inflammation to Jack Flaherty’s search for better form to mixed results from pitching chaos, Mize has become a stabilizing factor in a rotation he had to fight to make out of Spring Training.

“I went into this offseason searching for ways to get better,” Mize said. “We came up with a plan, and I’m still executing in July. I’m still figuring some things out; it’s not a finished product. But to see that plan working and being able to aggressively pursue that feels good. That’s always a good place to be in.”

If he can keep it up, it could mean a ton come October. Even now, as president of baseball operations Scott Harris plots a strategy for the Trade Deadline, Mize’s reliability could be a factor in prioritizing Detroit’s needs.

Mize (9-2) lowered his ERA to 2.63, including 2.34 over his last six starts since the beginning of June. He held a lefty-loaded Guardians lineup to four hits and two walks, one of the latter intentional to José Ramírez. He recorded just four strikeouts and eight whiffs against a Cleveland lineup known for contact, but induced 11 groundouts and just four balls in play with exit velocities over 100 miles per hour.

“Command of the heater was probably the best thing,” Mize said. “I didn’t get a ton of swing-and-miss on the split, but I think the fastball command kind of made up for that, then was able to mix in some sliders when needed as well.”

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Mize hasn’t given up more than two earned runs in an outing since May 30. He hasn’t given up more than three runs of any kind since May 1. He has thrown at least six innings in seven of 15 starts this season, including four with one run or less.

“He’s been incredible,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “And tonight was not only a well-pitched game, but it was when we needed it the most.”

Hinch took all the innings he could get from Mize on Saturday. Brant Hurter, who became Tommy Kahnle’s setup man for the game with other late-inning options down, started warming as Mize took the mound for the seventh. Bo Naylor’s two-out double put the potential tying run in scoring position, but Mize executed two pitches at the bottom of the zone against Johnathan Rodríguez -- a first-pitch whiff, then a groundout to short on Mize’s 102nd and final pitch.

“I was still feeling good,” Mize said. “I feel like if the ball’s still coming out well and I’m feeling good and the matchup’s there, I know A.J. is going to put me in a good position to succeed. I felt like finishing the [seventh] inning was important for me. I was happy about how it ended.”

Mize and Skubal -- who starts Sunday’s series finale in search of the sweep -- became the first Tigers teammates with nine wins before the All-Star break since Rick Porcello (12) and Max Scherzer (11) in 2014, Detroit’s last postseason berth before last year.

Much like that 2014 season with David Price, the Tigers can search the trade market for potential upgrades, and they have the prospect depth to go big if opportunity knocks. But Mize’s emergence, combined with Olson’s return and signs of improvement from Flaherty, mean Harris can do so from a position of looking for an opportunity to make moves, not having to.