The Detroit Tigers won, 4-0, against the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday, May 27, in the second of three games in the series at Comerica Park.
The Angels have the worst record in the American League, followed by the Kansas City Royals.
The third-worst AL team?
It’s the Tigers.
But the Tigers (22-34) have won two of their past three games, though they’ve still lost 17 of 21 games.
What does Casey Mize injury mean for rotation?
The Tigers lost right-hander Casey Mize to a right groin injury in Wednesday’s game. It’s the same issue that sent him to the injured list in late April, forcing him to miss two starts.
This time, manager A.J. Hinch isn’t counting on Mize to make his next start (scheduled for Monday against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field), even though Mize didn’t think the injury felt as severe as last time.
“I don’t even really have a gut feeling,” Hinch said.
If Mize lands on the injured list again, he would miss at least two starts while serving the minimum 15-day absence, forcing the Tigers to find another option for his spot in the rotation.
Left-hander Tarik Skubal (left elbow arthroscopy) and right-hander Justin Verlander (left hip inflammation) are both tracking toward June returns with positive progress, but neither has begun a rehab assignment and likely won’t rejoin the Tigers until the second or third week of the month.
Without Mize, the Tigers could turn to right-handed reliever Drew Anderson as a starter.
The 32-year-old spent the past four seasons as a starter in Asia, and the Tigers initially planned for him to be a starter upon signing him to a one-year, $7 million contract, only to send him to the bullpen with a crowded rotation coming out of spring training.
He could be a short-term solution for the rotation until Skubal, Verlander and Mize return.
“He gets outs, and he’s very efficient,” Hinch said of Anderson, who owns a 3.44 ERA with 16 walks and 45 strikeouts across 36⅔ innings in 18 games. “He has a lot of different pitches. He’s a true pitcher, but he’s got plus stuff.”
In 2026, the Tigers have stretched Anderson out to as many as 63 pitches and 4⅔ innings.
He is riding a scoreless streak of 14 innings, including three innings in Wednesday’s game as the emergency replacement for Mize – lining him up to start Monday against the Rays, if needed.
“We keep turning to him in different roles,” Hinch said. “His arm bounces back great.”
Another option to take Mize’s spot?
Right-hander Ty Madden (right forearm contusion) completed 4⅓ innings Monday in a rehab start with Triple-A Toledo. He had been scheduled to pitch again Sunday for the Tigers or the Mud Hens, but he could wait until Monday.
Why didn’t Matt Vierling start?
Outfielder Matt Vierling had started for the Tigers in 19 of the past 21 games, but he wasn’t in the lineup for Wednesday’s game after a poor defensive mistake in center field where he didn’t hustle to throw the ball into the infield during Tuesday’s 10-6 loss to the Angels.
It happened in the third inning.
And it allowed the Angels to score an extra run.
His absence from Wednesday’s lineup wasn’t described as a benching for his mistake in Tuesday’s game, but it also wasn’t described as a scheduled off day.
“We have a ton of conversations after games,” said Hinch, who suggested right-hander José Soriano was a bad matchup for Vierling. “I’m not going to single him out as that’s the reason he’s not playing. We talked to him about the speed of the play. We do address the things that we do well. We do address the things that we don’t do well. It’s unfair for Matty to hang him because of a mistake.”
In Wednesday’s game, Vierling (a right-handed hitter) entered in the seventh inning as a pinch-hitter for Colt Keith (a left-handed hitter), allowing the Tigers to get a favorable matchup against left-handed reliever Brent Suter.
He popped out on a second-pitch fastball.
In 2026, Vierling is hitting .216 with four home runs, 14 walks and 27 strikeouts across 46 games, registering a .649 OPS. The 29-year-old plays all three outfield positions, but he has been worth minus-six defensive runs saved, including minus-four defensive runs saved over 281⅔ innings in center field.
Will Tigers use opener for Jack Flaherty?
Right-hander Jack Flaherty is starting for the Tigers in Thursday’s series finale against the Angels. He has a 5.94 ERA in 11 starts, but even worse, it’s a 7.33 ERA in his past seven starts.
Will the Tigers use an opener for Flaherty’s in Thursday’s game?
Not this time.
“Part of it is about the lineup you’re facing and how it can manipulate the order,” Hinch said. “It wouldn’t change a thing for these guys.”
The Angels, regardless of who starts for the Tigers, will deploy right-handed hitters Zach Neto and Mike Trout as the top two hitters in the batting order.
Beyond that, Flaherty has struggled the most in the third inning – not the first inning.
“The first time through the order hasn’t consistently been a problem for him,” Hinch said. “The second time hasn’t consistently been a problem. To me, it’s been about pitch selection.”
Here’s something to watch: The Tigers could use an opener – namely, left-handed reliever Tyler Holton – in front of Flaherty for his next start, scheduled for Tuesday against the Rays.
That’s because the Rays have an abundance of left-handed hitters, featuring Chandler Simpson and Jonathan Aranda within the top three spots in the lineup.
And left-handed hitters have torched Flaherty, hitting .283 with an .886 OPS.
The Tigers have a 2-9 record in Flaherty’s 11 starts.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers takeaways: What Casey Mize injury means for rotation
Reporting by Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
