The Detroit Tigers conserved their energy in the cold, snowy conditions Monday until runners reached scoring position.
The Tigers (6-4) only had three hits through six innings against New York Yankees starter Carlos Rodón, but produced five runs on two of those hits en route to a 6-2 victory in the series opener at Comerica Park.
The Tigers reached base for the first time in the third inning on consecutive walks from Jake Rogers and Ryan Kriedler at the bottom of the lineup. Andy Ibáñez delivered the Tigers' first hit later in the inning, turning on a low, inside changeup for a three-run home run, his first of the season.
Colt Keith and Rogers reached base in the fifth inning on an error and walk, before reaching scoring position on a sacrifice bunt from Kriedler. Justyn-Henry Malloy drove both in with a single up the middle on the Tigers' second hit of the game.
The Tigers enjoyed a comfortable lead after the two RBI hits as starting pitcher Casey Mize settled in for another strong performance. Mize gave up one run on an RBI single from Aaron Judge in the fifth inning, but otherwise shut down the Yankees' offense, which came into Detroit tied for the most runs in MLB, 77, through nine games.
Mize is now 2-0 on the season with one earned run allowed and 12 strikeouts in 11⅔ innings pitched.
Mize thrives with splitter
Mize took the mound as the snow started to fall at Comerica Park.
After starting the game walking Ben Rice, he settled in by drawing three flyouts from the heart of the Yankees' order. In the second, he retired three straight batters in the second inning, including freezing Austin Wells with an inside fastball for a strikeout.
He stranded two more runners in the third inning following a Rice triple. Rogers picked off Rice during Judge's at-bat, which ended in a walk, and then Mize got Cody Bellinger to line out to second base.
Mize escaped the fifth inning after giving up the RBI single to Judge by getting Bellinger to chase a splitter below the zone. He picked up one more strikeout on the splitter in the sixth inning to finish his day.
Mize struck out six batters in six innings, with four coming from the splitter and two from his fastball. Mize picked up six whiffs on eight swings against his splitter (75%). Mize threw six total pitches, but primarily relied on a four-pitch mix consisting of his fastball, slurve, splitter and slider.
Mize threw 88 pitches across six innings, allowing four hits and three walks to accompany his six strikeouts.
Tyler Holton pitched a scoreless seventh inning in relief. The Yankees added one run against Beau Brieske in the eighth, but it was ...
