The Miami Marlins and the host Detroit Tigers will try to wake up their slumbering offenses during a Wednesday matinee.
The second game of their three-game series on Tuesday was scoreless after nine innings. The Marlins scored the only run of the contest in the 10th on a fielder’s choice. Both starting pitchers, Miami’s Ryan Weathers and Detroit’s Reese Olson, lasted eight innings and limited the opposition to three singles and no walks.
“It was a well-pitched game on both sides,” Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said. “It’s a little bit of a throwback game where each starting pitcher was just dealing, going through each other’s lineups.”
Detroit won the series opener on Monday, 6-5.
Right-hander Casey Mize (1-1, 3.58 ERA), who will start the series finale for the Tigers, pitched well in his latest outing. He held the Houston Astros to one run and five hits in six innings on Friday. It was a bounce-back performance, as he allowed five runs and nine hits in 5 1/3 innings in a loss to the New York Yankees in his other May start.
The only run the Astros scored off him came on a sixth-inning homer from Kyle Tucker. Mize reached 97 mph with his fastball during the start, but the one he threw to Tucker only registered 92 mph.
“I held my velo pretty good (Friday), but 92 — that was certainly a few ticks under,” he said. “A 1-0 heater at 92, I did hit my spot but you’re not going to have a ton of success with that when he’s looking fastball and it’s 92 out of the hand. Maybe if it’s 95, it’s a different result.”
Mize only recorded two strikeouts but still notched his third quality start of the season.
“I definitely didn’t have my best stuff,” said Mize, who will be facing the Marlins for the first time in his career.
Left-hander Trevor Rogers (0-6, 6.57 ERA), Mize’s mound opponent, has endured two miserable May outings. He surrendered eight runs and eight hits in 2 1/3 innings to the Oakland A’s on May 4. He then gave up five runs (four earned) and nine hits in 3 1/3 innings against Philadelphia on Friday.
“It’s everything if I can’t locate (the) fastball inside,” Rogers said after facing the Phillies. “My changeup out away is pretty much useless, (my) two-seam’s useless. I could get away with it here and there, but with that team, I think they clearly showed that I can’t get away with it. So I’ve got to be better.”
Rogers flung his cap and glove after getting pulled in the fourth.
“I’ve just got to be better. That’s kind of what (ticks) me off the most,” said Rogers, who hasn’t previously faced the Tigers. “I can’t give anything to chance, and that’s kind of where you saw the frustration there.”
Miami infielder Tristan Gray got his first start of the season at third base on Tuesday. The Marlins purchased his contract from Triple-A Jacksonville on Sunday.
Gray went 0-for-3 but impressed with his defense.
“He played an unbelievable third base,” Miami manager Skip Schumaker said. “Weathers was obviously our player of the game, but Tristan was right there with him.”
–Field Level Media