DETROIT — Tigers manager A.J. Hinch has talked for weeks about watching Casey Mize’s innings for a stretch at some point this summer. On Friday, as Mize ended his third inning by striking out Yasmani Grandal on a nasty curveball for his 56th and final pitch of the night, the plan became operational.
From a competitive standpoint, the early hook had little impact on Friday’s 8-2 loss to the White Sox. A two-run opening inning was enough to support starter Lance Lynn, and Chicago tacked on some insurance runs late including five in the ninth. In the big picture, the Tigers are hoping two or three short starts will allow the Tigers to keep Mize in their rotation into the stretch run without risking injury.
For a moment, lasting three innings was looking like a challenge for Mize for competitive reasons. He fell behind five of six hitters in a 27-pitch first inning that included two ground balls with exit velocities of 108 miles per hour, then gave up a Brian Goodwin RBI triple on a 3-1 pitch.
Still, Mize found some success with his fastball, including a 96 mph heater on the outside edge that froze José Abreu. After Adam Eaton led off the second inning with a ground-ball single, Mize settled down with a Jake Burger double-play grounder and a Danny Mendick strikeout. A third-inning walk to Gavin Sheets became harmless with another strikeout of Abreu, this time on a 95 mph fastball at the knees, and Grandal’s strikeout on the curve.