Detroit Free Press

LAKELAND, Fla. — Detroit Tigers pitcher Casey Mize had just made a mistake. He worked Bryce Harper into an 0-2 count and wanted to end the March 13 at-bat at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater with a strikeout of the former National League MVP. His wipeout pitch is the splitter, dropping below the strike zone and making hitters look foolish.

LAKELAND, Fla. — The Detroit Tigers defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates, 3-1, on Saturday at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium, improving to 8-10 in Grapefruit League play. What happened Left-hander Matthew Boyd started and pitched four innings. He worked up to 80 pitches (51 strikes) and seems on track to start the first or second

Detroit Tigers fans received some great news   Friday morning. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will allow about 8,200 fans to go to Comerica Park on April 1 for Opening Day against the Cleveland Indians. That’s fantastic. But the pressure is now on Tigers fans to show that they can do the right thing. As fast as this

LAKELAND, Fla. — The Detroit Tigers cut top hitting prospect Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene from big league spring training Saturday, sending them to the team’s mini-camp in Lakeland for the remainder of March. There are 39 players remaining in MLB camp. “I learned that the makeup is real and the talent is real,” manager

LAKELAND, Fla. — The numbers don’t paint a majestic picture for Detroit Tigers right-hander Casey Mize: Eight hits, one walk, five earned runs and five strikeouts across 3⅔ innings Friday against the Toronto Blue Jays. Neither do the 23-year-old’s numbers through four outings in spring training: 12 hits, 10 walks, 11 earned runs and 12 strikeouts

Detroit Tigers fans received some great news Friday morning. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will allow about 8,200 fans to go to Comerica Park on April 1 for Opening Day against the Cleveland Indians. That’s fantastic. But the pressure is now on Tigers fans to show that they can do the right thing. As fast as this measure loosened

LAKELAND, Fla. — The Detroit Tigers lost to the Toronto Blue Jays, 8-1, on Thursday at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium, falling to 7-10 in Grapefruit League play. What happened Right-hander Casey Mize started and pitched into the fourth inning, but was pulled at 72 pitches (49 strikes) without making the final out. He

Detroit Tigers fans will have the chance to get back into the Comerica Park stands. Don’t expect any sellouts quite yet and don’t forget your debit card. Limited ticket sales to Tigers games will begin Thursday, the team announced Friday. Just under 8,200 seats, about 20% of Comerica Park’s capacity, will be sold. Gov. Gretchen

LAKELAND, Fla. — Detroit Tigers right-hander Spencer Turnbull, in the conversation for the Opening Day starter, has left the team’s spring training facility and entered quarantine because of COVID-19 protocols. “He’s unavailable at this point,” manager AJ Hinch said Friday. “He’s not at the facility today, and he won’t be here for the coming days.

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal’s bread and butter is his four-seam fastball. It sits around 95 mph but reaches the upper-90s, and when he executes up in the strike zone, he seems unstoppable. But when a pitcher doesn’t have his best stuff he must adjust. The ability to do so is often

So long, Fox Sports Detroit. Well, so long to that name, at least. Fox Sports Detroit, home to Detroit Pistons, Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Tigers and other local sports coverage, will be known as Bally Sports Detroit starting March 31 — the day before the Tigers’ Opening Day telecast. The deal has long been in the works but was recently confirmed by the network’s

CLEARWATER, Fla. — The Detroit Tigers lost to the Philadelphia Phillies, 2-0, on Wednesday at BayCare Ballpark, falling to 7-9 in Grapefruit League play. What happened Left-hander Tarik Skubal started and went three scoreless innings. He allowed one hit and three walks — with six strikeouts — across his 70 pitches (38 strikes). This spring, Skubal has

LAKELAND, Fla. — Derek Holland warmed up on the mound with the bases loaded and no outs in the third inning Tuesday against the New York Yankees. He prepared to face Mike Tauchman, Tyler Wade and Rob Brantly — three left-handed hitters. Detroit Tigers manager AJ Hinch needed a combination of strikes and weak contact. The

LAKELAND, Fla. — Four years ago, Detroit Tigers right-hander Michael Fulmer didn’t need to prove anything in spring training. He just won the 2016 American League Rookie of the Year, shortly after the Tigers acquired him in July 2015 from the New York Mets in exchange for Yoenis Cespedes. It seemed Fulmer was on the

LAKELAND, Fla. — The Detroit Tigers lost to the New York Yankees, 7-4, on Monday at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. The Tigers dropped to 7-8 in Grapefruit League play. What happened Battling to secure a rotation spot, right-hander Michael Fulmer pitched into the third inning but struggled through his 63 pitches (32 strikes). He gave

LAKELAND, Fla. — The Detroit Tigers continue to trim the roster as spring training winds down. The second round of cuts on Tuesday optioned five players to Triple-A Toledo: right-handed pitchers Matt Manning, Franklin Perez and Alex Lange, infielder Zack Short and outfielder Christin Stewart. This means these players — along with the four pitchers

Show Caption Hide Caption Detroit Tigers Rule 5 pick Akil Baddoo ‘trying to be aggressive’ Detroit Tigers outfielder Akil Baddoo talks Monday, March 15, 2021, about trying to make the 26-man roster. Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press LAKELAND, Fla. — The Detroit Tigers lost to the Toronto Blue Jays, 4-0, on Monday at Publix Field

Evan Petzold   | Detroit Free Press Show Caption Hide Caption Detroit Tigers Rule 5 pick Akil Baddoo ‘trying to be aggressive’ Detroit Tigers outfielder Akil Baddoo talks Monday, March 15, 2021, about trying to make the 26-man roster. Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press LAKELAND, Fla. — Detroit Tigers manager AJ Hinch is ready to give outfielder

You want to believe. That might be the most important aspect of spring training every year, the belief. The fresh start, under the sun in Arizona or Florida, after so many cold months without baseball, and, well, you can be forgiven for staring a little harder at a player coming off a bad year, squinting

Evan Petzold | Detroit Free Press LAKELAND, Fla. — Entering the 2014 season, Louisville baseball coach Dan McDonnell needed a new ace. He had one name in mind for the coveted role as Friday starter: Kyle Funkhouser. “We have the players fill out three individual goals and three team goals,” McDonnell told the Free Press on March 2.