The Angels dodged a sweep, snagging a narrow 3-2 victory against the Tigers, but that scoreline barely tells the tale of an afternoon where Detroit’s bats went ice cold and ace Casey Mize had to exit early after a scary play. This was one of those games where everything just felt off for the Tigers, even with a strong start.
Mize’s Career Year Hits A Terrifying Snag
Casey Mize, man, he’s been battling a recurring groin strain all season, but he’s been putting up the most effective season of his career, seriously. His strikeouts are way up, he’s finally getting consistent whiffs off that splitter, practically smothering left-handed hitters. Plus, his breaking balls, a firm slider and a slower, more sweeper-like edition, have never looked better. The Angels tried to counter, stacking four of the first five spots in their order with right-handed hitters, meaning his breaking stuff was key early. And he was dealing! He quickly got ahead 0-2 on Zach Neto with a pair of breaking balls. Neto hit a splitter well, but Riley Greene snagged it right in front of the warning track. Mize then whiffed Mike Trout with a firm slider on the corner, and even though Nolan Schanuel, the lone lefty, fought off some 3-2 pitches for a soft single, Mize blew Jorge Soler away with a well-located heater to end the first.
But then, disaster. In the fourth inning, a Jo Adell comebacker caught Mize right in the wrist. You just hate to see it. He had to leave the game, and all we can do is hope it’s nothing too serious. The bullpen, to their credit, did a pretty solid job the rest of the way, even getting dicey in spots, but they couldn’t overcome the bats.
The Bats Went From Blazing Hot To Deep Freeze
It actually started off so well, though! Rookie Kevin McGonigle, the very first batter of the game, fell behind 2-0 against Angels’ comp pick Ryan Johnson, a low arm slot right-hander. What happened next? McGonigle launched Johnson’s next offering, a sinker, to left-center field for his ninth home run of the year. NINE homers for the rookie! That should have set the tone. But then Dillon Dingler popped up. Colt Keith, who just had a four-hit night, took a 2-2 pitch that nicked the handle of his bat for an unintentional foul tip strike three. What even was that? You watch baseball forever and still see something wild. Riley Greene walked on four straight balls, putting Spencer Torkelson, who crushed two homers last night, up with one out and Greene on first. Tork whiffed on three breaking balls off the edge of the plate and struck out. Just like that, the early momentum completely evaporated. Kerry Carpenter and Hao-Yu Lee made quick outs, and James Outman struck out. The Angels got a leadoff double from Vaughn Grissom, who later scored, which proved to be all they needed.
The Tigers head to Chicago now to battle the Cubs. Let’s hope for good news on Casey Mize’s wrist and that these bats wake up fast, because you can’t win ’em if you only score two runs.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
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