Limited Mize eyes 'as many innings as I can'

Wednesday’s series finale at Globe Life Field marked a tale of two pitchers: One the Tigers couldn’t wait to get rid of; the other, they wished could stick around a little longer.

The latter, of course, was starter Casey Mize, who closed out the first half of his first full MLB season by holding the Rangers to a pair of solo homers during the Tigers’ 5-3 win.

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So far, there have very been few issues with the 24-year-old’s routinely stellar performances. In fact, it seems the main drawback through Mize’s 17 starts this season is that the Tigers just can’t keep him on the mound long enough due to a strict innings limit they imposed to protect their budding star.

Mize was removed after three innings and 56 pitches his last time out, but thanks to an efficient outing Wednesday, he managed to squeak out an additional frame. Three of Mize’s four hits allowed came in sequence to open the second inning, but the talented righty still needed just 16 pitches to work through the frame. He needed nine pitches to dispatch the side in the first and 10 in the third, navigating Texas’ lineup with few speed bumps.

In fact, the only Ranger who posed a significant threat to Mize’s day was Joey Gallo, who slugged his 22nd and 23rd home runs of the season a combined 902 feet. Mize allowed just two singles otherwise, and his quick work in the third earned him not a handshake from manager A.J. Hinch but a trip back out for the fourth.

“I’m just trying to get as many innings as I can, so I was definitely happy with the pitch count,” Mize said.

Mize appeared to have plenty left in the tank after that frame, too, but his pitch count had reached 50 and he already knew no amount of debate would change the fact that he’d tossed 91 1/3 innings in the first half of 2021, just 37 shy of the career-high 128 1/3 he amassed among the Auburn Tigers, Rookie-level Gulf Coast League play and Class A Lakeland in ‘18.

Detroit has kept close watch on the top overall pick of the 2018 MLB Draft, who got his first taste of the big leagues in 2020 but worked just 28 1/3 innings in the pandemic-shortened season. The Tigers aim to ease Mize’s innings upward this season so that he’s able to embark on a new learning curve by way of September baseball.

The competitor that he is, Mize is understandably frustrated by these early hooks. He understands the endgame, but he’s also looking forward to the day when his outings will only be limited by his performance.

Meanwhile, Rangers starter Kyle Gibson couldn’t hit the showers fast enough for the Tigers. The newly dubbed All-Star has long proved difficult to crack, leaving Hinch to opine before the contest that Gibson was “arguably the best starting pitcher in the American League.”

“He's not going to give in and concede to the bigger parts of the plate,” Hinch said. “If you do get him on the ropes a little bit, you've got to make sure you take advantage of those opportunities.”

Detroit squeaked home a run on a pair of singles and a groundout in the first inning, then added another in the fourth thanks to Jeimer Candelario’s first home run since May 18, but Gibson held firm otherwise, leading a tie game into the seventh.

When Gibson toppled though, it came quickly. He allowed a pair of singles and issued a walk to load the bases with one out, convincing Texas skipper Chris Woodward to turn to the bullpen. That move was all the Tigers needed to capitalize, and before the inning was through, Detroit had scored three off reliever Joely Rodríguez on two singles and a bases-loaded walk.

“Five really good at-bats today, one of them being in that inning that draws the walk,” Hinch said. “A lot to like in that inning.”

That was all the Tigers needed to claim their first series victory against Texas since Aug. 12-14, 2016.

“[We’re] definitely confident,” Mize said. “Even when times weren’t as good as they are right now, it’s still a good group to be around. … We come into every game expecting to win, and knowing that we have a chance to, which is an awesome feeling to be able to come to the field and know that.”