Mize's early struggles fueled a Pirates' lead Detroit couldn't erase, despite late-inning heroics. Spring training concerns mount.
A rough outing from Casey Mize and a ninth-inning run against Marco Jimenez proved to be too much to overcome Friday night, as the Detroit Tigers fell to the Pittsburgh Pirates 7-5 at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium.
Mize did not make it out of the fourth inning. The right-hander ran into trouble in the second when a string of four walks, three of them with the bases loaded, handed Pittsburgh two runs without a hit. He came back out for the third and was punished for it, surrendering a two-run home run to Jhostynxon Garcia that pushed the Pirates lead to 4-0. Mize exited in the fourth after two more singles contributed to a two-run frame that put Pittsburgh up 6-0.
Through four innings of work split across two separate stints — the Tigers briefly inserted Colin Fields before bringing Mize back — the results were damaging. His spring ERA now sits at 7.15 through four Grapefruit League appearances, a number that will draw attention as the rotation picture firms up heading into the final weeks of camp. Mike Clevinger, who is a non-roster invite trying to fight for the fifth spot in Pittsburgh's rotation, allowed two runs on just the single, walked four and struck out five.
The bullpen answered initially. Beau Brieske came on in the fifth and was sharp, retiring the Pirates in order and giving Detroit's offense a chance to respond. Tyler Holton followed with a clean sixth, and Ricky Vanasco extended his scoreless stretch to three straight appearances without allowing a hit.
Detroit made it interesting. Parker Meadows singled to center in the fifth with the bases loaded, scoring Wenceel Perez and Colt Keith to cut it to 6-2. It was an encouraging moment for Meadows, who has been working his way back into rhythm this spring after a sluggish start to the Grapefruit League season. The at-bat was exactly what he needed — bases loaded, professional swing to center field, job done.
If Meadows is starting to find his footing at the plate, that is a development worth watching as the Tigers finalize their outfield picture heading into April. The Tigers then rallied for three more in the seventh on a wild pitch and a two-run error, pulling within 6-5. But Jimenez gave up a run in the ninth on a Javier Rivas double and an Axiel Plaz single, and Detroit went quietly in the bottom of the frame to close it out.
Konnor Griffin went 1-for-3 with a strikeout and a groundout, while Kevin McGonigle went 0-for-2 with two groundouts before being lifted for a pinch runner in the fifth. The two top prospects in baseball had a quiet night against each other, though the game's bigger story was the damage done before either of them had much say in it.
These two will be facing off against each other next Friday during the Spring Breakout game in Bradenton. Both Griffin and McGonigle have a shot to make the 26-man roster.
Detroit heads to Dunedin on Saturday with Tarik Skubal on the hill against Max Scherzer.
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