Casey Mize pitched six scoreless innings to earn his first victory since 2021 as the Detroit Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins 6-1 Sunday afternoon at Target Field in Minneapolis.
The Tigers (12-10) took two of three this weekend from the struggling Twins (7-13).
Mize had only one 1-2-3 inning but he fought his way out of jams, including a bases-loaded situation in the first inning, without allowing a run.
“Casey’s line is going to awesome, but it wasn’t without a fight and a grind,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told Bally Sports Detroit and other reporters after the game.
He’s now thrown back-to-back starts of six innings for the first time since June 9 and 15, 2021.
He earned his first win since Aug. 24, 2021. His opponent that day was St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jack Flaherty, now with the Tigers, who was removed from the game after giving up Miguel Cabrera’s 501st home run.
With his RBI single in the first inning, Kerry Carpenter has now recorded a RBI in six consecutive games, the longest streak by a Tigers hitter since Justin Upton had a RBI in six straight from August 1-6, 2017.
The Tigers scored two in the first inning and two in the third against Twins starter Louie Varland, who struggled with control from the outset.
Newly arrived infielder Buddy Kennedy knocked Varland out early with a two-run homer to left. It was Kennedy’s first hit as a Tiger and just the second home run of his career.
“When guys come up, they want to contribute and feel part of it,” Hinch said. “And today was a great example of that.”
Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter drove in a run with a first-inning single, his sixth consecutive game with an RBI. It’s the longest streak by a Tiger since Justin Upton had a six-game streak from Aug. 1-6, 2017.
Up next: The Tigers open a three-game series in St. Petersburg, Fla., against the Tampa Bay Rays (12-11) on Monday at 6:50 p.m.
Left-hander Tarik Skubal (2-0, 2.28 ERA) will start for the Tigers. The Rays have not yet announced their starter, but if they continue on the same cycle it will be right-hander Zack Littell (1-0, 2.14).
Skubal, making his fifth start of the season, allowed four runs (two earned) in 6 1/3 innings in his last start on April 17 against the Texas Rangers. This will be his first start away from Comerica Park since Opening Day on March 28 against the Chicago White Sox.
Littell has struck out 22 and walked five over 21 innings this year.
The 28-year-old came up in the Mariners system and debuted with the Minnesota Twins in 2018. The Rays claimed him off waivers from the Boston Red Sox last May. After pitching out of the pen for a while, Littell was eventually stretched out to start. He struck out 72 and walked just nine in 87 innings with the Rays last season.