Casey Mize has seen the success and energy that his youthful teammates have brought to the Detroit Tigers. He is excited to contribute. The right-hander, who missed two months of action because of a strained left hamstring, is anticipated to take the mound on Friday when the Tigers begin a three-game weekend series against the Boston Red Sox. Detroit lost 3-0 to the visiting Los Angeles Angels on Thursday, snapping their six-game winning run.
“I’m hoping to help a team that’s been winning to continue to win,” Mize stated. “That’s the most crucial factor since I’m excited to lend a hand there and the group is now enjoyable. For me personally, simply concluding the season on a high note and in good health would be quite satisfying.” On June 30, Mize (2-6, 4.23 ERA) made his final major league appearance against the Angels, pitching 5 1/3 scoreless innings. This season, he only faced the Red Sox once, and in four innings, he gave up three runs (two earned). His record versus Boston in three career starts is 0-1 with a 4.20 ERA.
Since going on the disabled list, Mize has made four rehab starts for Triple-A Toledo, recording a 2.63 ERA. After a bullpen session on Tuesday, the big-league team decided he was ready to rejoin. “I felt pretty good throughout the rehab outings,” he stated. “I feel like I could have done more in each one, so I feel like we’re in a good spot.” His teammates were doing well up until Thursday, when the offense was shut down. Detroit grounded into two double plays, went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position, and left ten runners on base.
“On the scoreboard, it looked like we had a lot of opportunities,” A.J. Hinch, the Tigers manager, said, “but we really didn’t string at-bats together like we have in recent days.” Tanner Houck (8-9, 3.23 ERA) will oppose Mize. Houck allowed the Arizona Diamondbacks six runs in six innings during his most recent start on Sunday. In a 7-5 setback, the Red Sox blew a four-run lead thanks to his seven hits and four walks. Houck said, “The command got worse.” “In the beginning, I had the impression that I was hitting the zone and chasing guys.” Later on, I was just off the plate and too much out of my comfort zone with everything.”
On May 31, Houck produced one of his greatest games of the year against the Tigers. He pitched seven innings, striking out six, and limited them to one run on three hits and two walks. He is 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA in three career appearances (two starts) against Detroit. The Boston Red Sox lost 2-0 to the visiting Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday despite only managing two hits from their lineup. Since the All-Star break, the Red Sox have a 16–22 record. Due to a shoulder injury, Boston slugger Rafael Devers has missed the last three games; but, manager Alex Cora anticipates that he will be back in the starting lineup on Friday.
Cora remarked, “We saw good pitching against us,” following the shutout. “We’ll be prepared (for the series in Detroit). We’ll grab the big lad on Friday and get rolling because he hasn’t played in three days.” Starting today, the Red Sox will embark on a six-game road trip that will stop in New York to play the Mets.
Ace reveals the “epiphany” underlying the startling rise.
Prior to the season, Corbin Burnes, a previous Cy Young champion, was traded by the Milwaukee Brewers. Afterwards, DL Hall and Robert Gasser were hurt. This created a space near the top of the rotation. Tobias Myers, a 26-year-old pitcher, has taken up the position with a 2.99 ERA thus far. He talked about an insight he had with Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
And while playing catch on a sizable grassy area next to the team hotel with righty Freddy Peralta and the Brewers’ bullpen catchers on a day off from the rotation before he returned to the rotation, he had an epiphany.
Myers remarked, “It felt exactly like COVID in 2020, when my friends and I would go outside and play catch in any old spot of grass because all the fields were closed. “Playing baseball was all I wanted to do with my life at that point. I was thinking after that day, “You know what, I’m going to cherish it and just really enjoy it and give it all my all every time I get the ball the rest of this year.”
He held the Tigers scoreless for eight innings on only one hit the next day.
This strategy was effective for the duration of the season as well as the short term. His ERA is 2.20 since that Tigers start, and the Brewers are 8-6 when he starts. To aid Myers in his development, they brought in Aaron Civale and Frankie Montas prior to the trade deadline, but he has still excelled over them.
The Brewers will need outstanding pitching from the whole staff, not just from Myers, if they hope to advance far in the National League playoffs. Will they defeat the Phillies and Dodgers to capture the pennant for the first time since 1982?
Brewers’ prospects in the postseason of the National League
There are many more Cinderella stories among the Brewers players than only the rise of Tobias Myers. Gary Sanchez, who had several failed efforts at becoming an MLB catcher, has finally found success. Sal Frelick and Blake Perkins have both been regular players and outstanding contributors for Milwaukee. The Brewers’ pitching staff, though, has surprised them the most.
Myers and his group will be crucial to the Brewers’ postseason success. The only way to win with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies separating them from the World Series is with outstanding pitching. The NL playoffs will be dominated by offensive weapons, including Bryce Harper and Shohei Ohtani.
Fangraphs projects the Brewers’ chances of winning the World Series to be as low as 3.6% due to the Dodgers’ and Phillies’ star power. They can take advantage of that slim opportunity if Myers has developed into a true ace over the previous month. This season, he has not yet faced the Dodgers or the Phillies in a pitching match.
That is advantageous for Myers because it has allowed him to acquire confidence in his first professional season before facing one of the two best teams in the National League in a high-leverage start.
