Will Detroit Tigers run away with AL Central?
The Days of Roar podcast breaks down the competition the Detroit Tigers face in the AL Central. Can the Tigers maintain first place in the division?
- The Detroit Tigers lost their third straight, 7-5, to the Guardians in 10 innings.
- The Tigers took a 3-0 lead in the first inning but went 0-for-21 before scoring two runs in the 10th inning.
- Casey Mize returned from the IL and allowed two runs (one earned) over five innings to lower his ERA to 2.45.
Gleyber Torres hit a single in the third inning.
After that, the Detroit Tigers didn’t record another hit until Torres delivered a double in the 10th inning.
The lack of offense led to the Tigers’ downfall in a 7-5 loss to the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday, May 24 — the third of four games in the series. The Guardians tied the game in the eighth inning, then grabbed the lead in the 10th.
The Tigers (33-20) have lost three games in a row for the first time since the first series of the season against the reigning World Series-champion Los Angeles Dodgers, from March 27-29.
After three losses, the Tigers’ advantage in the American League Central has been trimmed to three games over both the Guardians and the Minnesota Twins.
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The Guardians scored four runs in the top of the 10th inning, facing right-handed reliever Brenan Hanifee. Hits from Kyle Manzardo, Angel Martínez and Nolan Jones drove in three of the runs, while a sacrifice fly from Bo Naylor plated the other run.
Hanifee induces ground balls at an elite rate, but he has surrendered at least one hit in 14 of his past 16 relief appearances, including at least two hits in each of his past five outings.
Even worse, Hanifee is responsible for 29 hits allowed in 25 innings this season.
The Guardians took a 7-3 lead into the bottom of the 10th inning, but Torres cut the Tigers’ deficit to 7-5 with a two-run double off right-handed reliever Emmanuel Clase.
But Clase locked back in.
He retired Colt Keith on a first-pitch pop out and Riley Greene on a first-pitch groundout to end the game, stranding Torres at second.
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Casey Mize: 2.45 ERA in 8 starts
Right-hander Casey Mize returned from the injured list after missing the minimum 15 days. He picked up where he left off before the left hamstring strain, allowing just two runs (one earned run) on four hits and one walk with six strikeouts.
The 28-year-old tossed 77 pitches across five innings.
He has a 2.45 ERA in eight starts.
His splitter was electric, as displayed in the first inning when he struck out six-time All-Star José Ramírez swinging with his premier pitch in a full count, ending the inning.
He also flashed an impressive three-pitch sequence to strike out Daniel Schneemann looking in the second inning, throwing a fastball, a slurve and another fastball in the same location near the bottom of the strike zone.
In the third, Bo Naylor tagged Mize’s elevated fastball for a solo home run to right-center field, cutting the Tigers’ lead to 3-1. A fielding error by third baseman Zach McKinstry ultimately extended the inning, which led to Ramírez’s RBI single — off Mize’s splitter — to make it a 3-2 game.
Mize generated 11 misses on 38 swings for a 28.9% whiff rate, doing so with two fastballs, six splitters, one slurve and two sinkers. His fastball averaged 93.2 mph, down 1.4 mph from his average.
Matt Vierling’s first start
Matt Vierling made his 2025 debut as a pinch-hitter Friday, May 23, but he started in Saturday’s game. He contributed immediately, hitting a first-pitch fastball from right-hander Luis L. Ortiz for a two-run single with two outs in the first inning.
The single from Vierling put the Tigers ahead, 3-0.
Before Vierling’s single, doubles from Kerry Carpenter and Colt Keith created the first run of the game.
There was another opportunity for Vierling to cash in against Ortiz with the bases loaded and two outs, but in the third-inning situation, he grounded out after Torres’ single, Riley Greene’s walk and McKinstry’s walk.
He finished 1-for-3 with two RBIs.
Contact Evan Petzold at [email protected] or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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