SARASOTA, Fla. -- After nearly two years away from the game, it makes sense to think that Casey Mize’s spring might involve a bit of a crash course on the finer points of his game.

“Even for somebody as talented as Casey,” manager A.J. Hinch noted, “two years is a long time.”

That being said, Mize is doing all the right things through three Grapefruit League outings. Is he occasionally missing his spots more often than he’d like? Maybe. Is this season’s ramp-up a bit different from years past in terms of how his body responds? Of course.

But Mize is a fierce competitor, and any rust that’s built up will come off quickly as he works to leave no doubt that he belongs back in the rotation come Opening Day.

“[This start was] definitely better; definitely more myself,” said Mize, who threw 53 pitches, 31 for strikes, and drew 10 swings and misses during the Tigers’ 4-3 loss to the Orioles on Friday night at Ed Smith Stadium. “Love my fastball right now, feel good about my splitter tonight, really pleased with my curveball.”

Mize, a frontrunner for the No. 4 spot in Detroit’s rotation, handled the O’s lineup -- the majority of Baltimore’s “A” team” -- for three innings and twice touched as high as 97 mph on the radar.

Of note during his third spring outing was not just that Mize’s velocity was up a tick from a 93.4 average in 2022, but that it proved the right-hander could reach back when he needed it. He hit 96 mph four times and 97 twice, both of the latter instances coming right when the situation called. The first occurred seven pitches into Mize’s third-inning battle against Anthony Santander with a man on second and one out and resulted in a harmless flyout to left for the O’s slugger.

The second came later in the same frame after Mize had allowed a pair of doubles and a run-scoring single and had thrown a wild pitch. Pitching coach Chris Fetter had made a recent mound visit and Trey Wingenter was warming in the ’pen, but it was important to everyone involved that Mize work his way through the sticky spot and finish on a high note.

After firing two 96 mph fastballs past Austin Hays to bring the count to 2-2, Mize blew his final offering -- a 97 mph bolt down the pipe -- past Hays, who flinched but didn’t commit to end the frame and Mize’s night.

While the check-swing strikeout was a great way to bounce back during the 28-pitch frame, Mize was quick to point out that a little adversity this spring only helps him going forward. Nine-pitch first innings are great, but Spring Training is for preparation, not stats, and the lengthy inning also tested what he had in the tank.

Hinch agreed.

“I was proud of him because he had to pitch through a little bit of stress in the third,” Hinch said. “Which was good that he had plenty left in his tank.

“... I’m glad that he pushed himself. Like I said, it was a normal Spring Training outing for him. It was nice to see him just get to compete.”

Feb. 27 marked Mize’s first game action in 22 months, after right elbow and back surgeries robbed him of two full seasons (minus 10 innings at the beginning of 2022). Mize’s first Grapefruit League start against the Blue Jays was dedicated to working out the jitters and celebrating a return to action. His second outing -- Sunday against the Yankees -- represented a shift toward normal, but there were still things he would have changed.

Mize couldn’t hide his smile after Friday’s outing, which brought a back-to-business attitude and gave fans a glimpse of the pitcher the Tigers have been so high on since they nabbed him with the first overall pick of the 2018 MLB Draft.

“It's a tough combination of give yourself grace and compete and execute really well, because I'm in a competition right now and I know that,” Mize said. “That being said, I'm just so happy and pleased to be out there and competing, and I'm just having tons of fun.

“… I’m just being super optimistic about everything that comes my way right now, and it’s one step in front of the other.”