The Detroit Tigers got back to their winning ways this afternoon, taking the 1st of a double header against the Houston Astros on the backs of a strong performance from Casey Mize on the mound along with the first MLB home run from Zack Short, who was recently called up.
For manager A.J. Hinch, who is now 4-1 against his former club this season, he liked what he saw from Short.
“Zack played a clean shortstop,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said. “He did have the one little bobble, but probably a hit either way, but you got to play clean defense around the field. It certainly is important for us as a team to have clean games. When we have starting pitcher that is effective and we play clean defense, we can win some games. Our team is learning that.”
Mize continued to roll this afternoon, allowing just one run in six innings while striking out five. And thanks to his efforts, he’s sporting a 2.77 ERA across his past 11 starts. He also became the first Tigers rookie since Dave Rozema in 1977 to allow three earned runs or less in 11 starts.
“With Casey, it’s never a surprise to me when he finds a way to beat the opponent,” Hinch said. “Today, he threw the ball very well. Getting out of that early traffic catapulted him forward into a much better frame of mind.”
The 2nd game of Detroit’s double-header will start at 6:10 PM EST, with Wily Peralta on the bump.
– – Quotes via Detroit Free Press Link – –
