The News’ Tony Paul gives his quick takes on the Tigers’ 2-1, 10-inning loss to the Blue Jays on Saturday:
One thing I loved
Rehab start? Casey Mize doesn’t need no stinkin’ rehab start. The Tigers’ rotation got a big boost with the return of the right-hander, making his first start since he suffered an adductor strain back in late April.
And Mize was absolutely spectacular, with six shutout innings. He allowed two hits, no walks, and struck out four.
The best sequence came in the top of the second inning, when he struck out Jesus Sanchez to end the frame. Sanchez was particularly impressed with Mize’s splitter, thrown on four of the last five pitches of the at-bat. Sanchez laid off one on 0-2, then fouled off the next two, before he swung through the fourth for the strikeout.
All Sanchez could do was smile. Turns out, baseball can be fun.
For Mize in 2026, it was the fifth time in seven starts he’s allowed one or no runs. His ERA is 2.43.
Mize was taken out after just 71 pitches (51 strikes), as manager AJ Hinch rightly kept a close eye on the workload (again, no rehab start). Reliever Kyle Finnegan allowed a tying homer to the first batter he faced, Yoendrick Pinango, in taking over for Mize in the sixth inning.
One thing I didn’t
Spencer Torkelson can’t seem to find any sustained momentum this season.
It seemed like he was finally turning a corner after his five-game home-run streak last month, but in the 15 games after that, he hit just .132/.242/.226.
Torkelson then won Friday night’s game on a walk-off in the bottom of the ninth inning, but followed that up with strikeouts in his first three at-bats in Saturday’s game. He now has 58 strikeouts in 45 games. Torkelson actually is on pace to challenge or break Riley Greene’s franchise-record of 201 strikeouts, set just last year.
Torkelson, worth noting, did avoid a fourth strikeout in the ninth inning Saturday, with a single to put two on with one out in a tie game — but the Tigers couldn’t muster a second consecutive walk-off win.
The Tigers now are 0-3 in extra-inning games in 2026, and have yet to score a single ghost runner.
Three stars
(Season total in parentheses)
Matt Vierling (4)
Kevin McGonigle (13)
Connor Seabold (2)
Player of the game
(Season total in parentheses)
Casey Mize (4)
Going the distance … and then some
The Tigers are now 0-3 in extra-inning games
Tigers’ ABS tracker
Next Tigers game
Game 47: Blue Jays at Tigers, 1:40 Sunday, Detroit SportsNet, 97.1
ICYMI: Yesterday’s Tigers recap
tpaul@detroitnews.com
@tonypaul1984
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit Tigers, Game 46: One thing I loved, one thing I didn’t
Reporting by Tony Paul, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
