The Detroit Tigers kick off a nine-game West Coast road swing on Friday night against the Athletics in Sacramento. The good guys got a breather on Thursday night — and will get another one on Monday before moving on to take on the Seattle Mariners — so hopefully the team is well rested after its stretch of 13 straight games played.
Getting things started for the Motor City Kitties is right-hander Casey Mize, who is coming off his eighth quality start of the season with a one-run effort over six innings
that saw him surrender just a trio of hits and walks with a no-decision in an eventual 3-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals inside Comerica Park.
In fact, the Tigers have had some tough luck over the 29-year-old’s last seven games, dropping five of them despite his respectable 3.23 ERA and robust 2.80 FIP over that stretch. Across his last 39 innings of work, Mize has struck out 36 against seven walks while serving up three home runs.
Opposite him for the A’s is left-hander Jeffrey Springs, who comes into the matchup with the worst pitching run value among qualifying MLB hurlers this season, per Statcast. The 33-year-old’s last outing on the road against the Minnesota Twins was his most futile effort of the 2026 campaign, coughing up five runs (four earned) on four hits and a walk with nary a strikeout to speak of over just 1 1/3 innings of work, taking the loss in an eventual 11-8 defeat.
Springs left that game due to right hip discomfort, but after diagnostic imaging failed to reveal any structural damage, he slotted right back into the rotation against Detroit. On top of his ailment, he has had a rough July, posting a 10.13 ERA and 7.33 FIP across three games, serving up 16 hits (three home runs) and six walks while striking out six over 10 2/3 innings.
One of those starts came against the Tigers in Detroit, in which he was tagged for six runs on six hits (two home runs) and four walks while striking out four over 4 1/3 frames in a 6-1 finale that saddled him with his 10th loss of the summer.
Here is a quick look at how the two starters match up on Friday night.
Detroit Tigers (51-58) vs. Athletics (X-X)
Time (ET): 9:40 p.m.
Place: Sutter Health Park, Sacramento, California
SB Nation Site: Athletics Nation
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 110: RHP Casey Mize (4-6, 2.70 ERA) vs. LHP Jeffrey Springs (3-10, 6.23 ERA)
MIZE
SPRINGS
