Detroit Tigers right-hander Casey Mize stepped onto the mound at Comerica Park with a new look. His hair curled out of the back of his hat in his debut Wednesday, but he returned for his second big-league start Monday with a fresh cut.
His command must’ve gotten lost in the process.
The 23-year-old cruised through the first inning with strikeouts of Anthony Rizzo with his splitter and Javier Baez with his cutter, but labored the rest of the way as the Tigers (11-16) took a 9-3 loss against the Chicago Cubs.
The Cubs (18-10) hit two home runs in the fourth inning to chase Mize and spark a four-run frame. Mize departed after 76 pitches, giving up four runs (three earned) on five hits and two walks in 3⅓ innings. After a seven-strikeout performance in his debut, he only had two in his first outing at Comerica Park.
The three-game series continues Tuesday with right-hander Spencer Turnbull starting for the Tigers, and concludes Wednesday with righty Michael Fulmer.
Mize’s second start
The second start of Mize’s career began as he wanted — forcing Ian Happ to ground out against his splitter before coming back with consecutive strikeouts. He got Rizzo on an 85.7 mph splitter down and in, and then put an 89.4 mph cutter outside to get Baez chasing.
He spent the past four days working on his cutter with pitching coach Rick Anderson and used it 14 times. It produced two whiffs and two called strikes.
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By the time Mize got to the second inning, he lost his command. He gave up two runs in the second, worked himself into a jam in the third inning and then allowed a home run to David Bote in the fourth. Errors from Jeimer Candelario (fielding) and Willi Castro (throwing) didn’t help his case, either.
Manager Ron Gardenhire pulled Mize with one out in the fourth inning and a runner on third base. Mize’s pitches per inning: 15 in the first, 26 in the second, 21 in the third and 14 in the fourth.
He finished with nine whiffs and 12 called strikes.
[ Tigers’ Tarik Skubal: ‘More aggressive’ approach was key in start No. 2 ]
Alexander in relief
Left-hander Tyler Alexander faced Rizzo as his first opponent, and the Cubs’ veteran drove a single up the middle on the second pitch for a 4-1 lead. And Baez followed with a two-run blast on the second pitch of his at-bat for a five-run edge.
Alexander loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth but got Rizzo to ground out. From that point on, he found consistency and got the Tigers through the seventh inning without further damage. He finished with two runs allowed, three hits, one walk and three strikeouts.
Baez smashed his second home run in the ninth against John Schreiber’s curveball.
Stewart goes yard
Right-hander Alec Mills was dealing until he met up with JaCoby Jones in the seventh inning. He retired 11 batters in a row before Jones knocked a single the opposite way.
Jones quickly got back to the dugout thanks to a two-run homer from Christin Stewart.
Stewart is supposed to provide power to the Tigers’ lineup, but he hasn’t done that this season. His last home run came July 28 against the Kansas City Royals, and he had a .151 batting average and .245 slugging percentage entering Monday. And he was 4-for-33 (.121/.194/.152) in August with one double, one RBI and nine strikeouts before teeing off against Mills in the seventh.
[ Christin Stewart knows he needs to ‘put the ball in the seats’ this season ]
Despite a battle, Mills made it through the seventh. He allowed three runs on seven hits and one walk, striking out seven Tigers on 94 pitches.
Evan Petzold is a sports reporting intern at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold. The Free Press has started a new digital subscription model. Here’s how you can gain access to our most exclusive Detroit Tigers content.