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Casey Mize is expected to return from a mild hamstring strain to start on the mound Saturday night as the Detroit Tigers host the Cleveland Guardians, searching for their first win in the third game of the four-game series.

Barring anything unforseen, Mize will come off the injured list looking for his fifth straight win. He last pitched May 8, earning the 10-2 victory against the Colorado Rockies but also reporting some hamstring discomfort.

Prior to the injury, Mize flashed the form that made him the top pick in the 2018 MLB Draft.

He gave up one or no runs in five of his seven starts. Mize (6-1, 2.53 ERA) didn’t make a minor-league rehab start during his injured-list stint. Instead, he threw a five-inning simulated game on Monday.

Last season, Mize pulled a hamstring and was out for two months.

“We got it checked out after the (May 8) game and it was confirmed there was a strain, but very mild, very minor,” Mize said prior to the simulated game. “It’s one of those things where we just felt like this was the right move. Be more conservative because it’s May.”

Getting Mize back in the rotation provides a little more stability. Right-hander Reese Olson is on the injured list with a finger injury.

Surprisingly, Mize has faced the American League Central-rival Guardians just once in his career and is 0-1 with a 7.36 ERA. He gave up five runs (three earned) in 3 2/3 innings in that outing.

He’ll be opposed by right-hander Luis Ortiz (2-5, 4.66 ERA), who has lost his past two starts despite giving up a combined three runs in 11 innings and notching 16 strikeouts.

Cleveland only scored one run in those outings against the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies.

“You can’t put your head down in those situations,” Ortiz said through an interpreter regarding the lack of run support. “You have to keep pushing and things will work out in the end.”

In his most recent start on Sunday, Ortiz allowed two runs and six hits in five innings at Cincinnati, a 3-1 loss.

He’s 0-1 with a 4.76 ERA in two career appearances (one start) against Detroit.

The Guardians have taken the first two games in the series while allowing just one run. Jose Ramirez extended his hitting streak to 16 games with an RBI triple in Cleveland’s 3-1 win on Friday.

Also Friday, Matt Vierling was activated from the injured list after recovering from a rotator cuff strain suffered during spring training.

Vierling gives manager A.J. Hinch another option at third base and the outfield.

“We are getting closer and closer to being the very versatile team we were hoping to have,” Hinch said. “Our guys have done a really good job to date, but adding Matty to the mix is a pretty big upgrade.”

Cleveland’s outfield got a boost a day earlier when Lane Thomas was activated from the injured list. Thomas, who missed a month with a wrist injury, wasn’t in the lineup on Friday but is expected to start against Mize on Saturday.

“He was hitting [second] right before the injury, and he hit there a lot for us last year,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. “Lane’s a big part of our team, a big part of our offense. Not having that for the last month, it’s taken a hit. Just getting Lane back in the lineup, it’s going to really help this lineup keep getting longer.”

–Field Level Media