The Detroit Tigers just locked down their first series win coming out of the All-Star break, absolutely demolishing the Los Angeles Angels 7-0 on Saturday night in Anaheim. Tarik Skubal was dealing a gem, and the bats finally woke up big time for a shutout victory. That’s how you come back after some time off!
Mize’s Shot at Redemption
Now, AJ Hinch’s squad is going for the full sweep on Sunday, and they’ve got right-hander Casey Mize on the bump. This guy, 29 years old, has been a bit of a mixed bag lately. He had two strong quality starts before hitting a wall right before the Midsummer Classic, giving up four runs, three of them earned, on five hits and two walks to the Philadelphia Phillies. That was his sixth loss of the season, a tough one to stomach heading into the break. You know he’s itching to put that behind him.
Angels’ Pitching Nightmare
But here’s the thing, Mize has faced the Angels already this season, and it was a shutout outing for him. He tossed four frames of no-score ball, only allowing two hits and one walk while striking out six, before right groin tightness cut his start short. The Tigers still won that game 4-0. Compare that to the guy on the other side of the mound for Los Angeles, 23-year-old right-hander Ryan Johnson. This is his second year in the big leagues, and he’s seriously struggling. July has been brutal for him so far, rocking a 5.00 ERA and a nasty 7.21 FIP. He’s served up three homers, walked four, and only struck out seven over nine innings in his two July appearances. The Angels lost both of those games. Ouch, right?
Mismatch on the Mound
When you look at the numbers, it’s pretty clear who has the edge. Mize comes into this game with a 4-6 record and a solid 2.79 ERA over 14 starts, putting up 2.6 fWAR and a 25.3% K-rate across 77.1 innings. Johnson, meanwhile, is sitting at 1-4 with a bloated 6.75 ERA through just nine games and 33.1 innings, with a -0.3 fWAR and a much lower 16.8% strikeout rate. The Tigers are sitting at 46-52, but the Angels are way down there at 38-61. This isn’t just a regular game, it’s a chance for the Tigers to really stack some wins and keep momentum rolling.
So, it all comes down to Sunday afternoon’s matinee matchup at Angel Stadium, 4:07 p.m. ET. Can Mize bounce back strong after that Phillies game and deliver a complete performance against a team he’s dominated before? Can the Tigers’ offense stay hot and complete the sweep? This one is gonna be a must-watch to see if they can keep that post-All-Star break fire burning!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
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