The Detroit Tigers were absolutely gunning for their third straight home win against the Royals this Saturday afternoon, but Kansas City ripped that dream away with a brutal 3-2 victory. It was a tight, nail-biter of a game all the way through, just like Friday night’s matchup in this four-game weekend series, but a couple of solo home runs late in the game completely spoiled what was a stellar pitching performance from the Tigers. Talk about a gut punch.
Mize Was Showing Out, Then Got Gutted
Casey Mize made his sixteenth start for the Tigers, and man, his numbers coming in were something else: a 4-6 record absolutely does not tell the story of a guy with a 2.79 ERA, an even better 2.62 FIP, and a sensational 1.029 WHIP. Win-loss records are trash, plain and simple, and Mize proves it. He’d been hit by a line drive in his last start, but he was good to go, even with that occasional groin tightness he’s been battling. Early on, his fastball was sitting around 93 mph and his command looked a little off. You could feel the tension, right? But then, he just locked it in. His pitch speeds climbed, hitting 95 mph at times, and he started locating pitches like a surgeon. He finished the fourth inning with a perfectly spotted 94-mph heater that left Nick Loftin looking completely lost. It really looked like Mize had found his groove.
Offense Sparked, Then Stalled
On the other side, the Royals had veteran Michael Wacha on the mound. This guy’s been Mr. Reliable since 2022, consistently posting ERAs between 3 and 4, keeping his HR/9 between 0.8 and 1.3, and WHIP between 1.11 and 1.22. He’s solid, even if he takes a short trip to the shelf every year. Early on, the Royals got on the board when Vinnie Pasquantino singled, moved over on a bunt, took third on a wild pitch, and then trotted home on a sacrifice fly for a 1-0 lead in the second. But the Tigers roared back fast! Riley Greene hammered a double off the left-centerfield wall, barely missing a homer. Then Hao-Yu Lee ripped a line drive to right that was completely misplayed by Jac Caglianone, putting Lee on second and bringing Greene home to tie it up. Lee wasn’t done, though. In the fourth, he absolutely mashed a high changeup into the left-field seats for a solo shot, putting the Tigers up 2-1! We were rolling!
But here’s the kicker: those two solo home runs late in the game. That’s it. That’s all it took for the Royals to snatch the win 3-2. After Mize had battled back and the offense had taken the lead, it all came crashing down from a couple of swings. The Tigers were looking to make a statement this weekend, and instead, they let a tight one slip away. Tomorrow’s game, the final of this series, is going to be HUGE. Can they bounce back and end the weekend on a high note, or will this loss sting even more? We’ll be watching every pitch.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bless You Boys.
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