Casey Mize made the American League All-Star team this season, but he hasn’t pitched like a star in his past eight outings.
The Detroit Tigers right-hander will try once again to regain his early-season form in the finale of a three-game home series against the New York Mets on Wednesday afternoon.
Mize (12-5) had a 2.63 ERA after tossing seven shutout innings against the Cleveland Guardians on July 5. His ERA has ballooned to 3.95 after giving up five runs in 3 1/3 innings against the Athletics on Aug. 27, a game Detroit lost 7-0.
“Just way too many mistakes over the heart of the plate,” Mize said. “Too many three-ball counts. A frustrating one, again. Too many hits, too much traffic led to too many runs and it put us in a bad hole to start the game.”
Over his past eight starts, Mize has allowed 46 hits and 11 walks in 35 innings, forcing him to deal with plenty of traffic.
“He’s had a hard time controlling contact,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “He got a few more swings and misses (vs. the A’s), but he really had to lean on some things early. He didn’t look like he was comfortable from the get-go and they tacked on some runs on him early and it was a hole we didn’t dig out of.”
Perhaps a lack of familiarity will help Mize. He has only faced the Mets once, a 4 1/3-inning stint on April 4, 2024, in which he gave up three runs.
Mize will be opposed by right-hander Clay Holmes (11-6, 3.60 ERA), who will be making his 28th start this season after being used almost exclusively as a reliever most of his career.
Holmes hasn’t been dominant in his past three starts, but he has kept his team close. He gave up one run in five innings to the Seattle Mariners on Aug. 17, two runs in 6 1/3 innings to the Atlanta Braves on Aug. 23 and four runs (two earned) in five innings to the Miami Marlins on Thursday.
The unearned runs were a result of his own error.
“We didn’t make plays behind him,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “He didn’t catch that ball there covering first base. Thought he kept the ball on the ground, got ground balls. Some deep counts, obviously.”
Holmes required 88 pitches to get through those five innings. He has logged 142 1/3 innings, more than double his previous career high.
“It’s a part of the year where I think for anybody, it gets long,” Holmes said. “Overall, I feel good. … It’s just the point in the season where you’ve got to execute and find a way and make pitches.”
Holmes has faced the Tigers 13 times in his career, all as a reliever with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the New York Yankees. He has a 3.46 ERA and four saves in 13 innings against Detroit.
New York (75-64) will be seeking a series sweep, having won 10-8 on Monday and 12-5 on Tuesday. Juan Soto followed up his six-RBI outing in the opener by driving in two more in the latest contest, including a solo homer.
Soto has homered five times in his last five games, upping his season total to 37. Pete Alonso had a pair of homers in the Tuesday game, his 32nd and 33rd.
Detroit (80-60) has lost seven of its past nine games.
–Field Level Media
