Detroit grinds out a 3-2 walk-off-flavored win Friday night on a Spencer Torkelson RBI single in the 9th, and now gets the gift of activating Casey Mize off the IL for the middle game. Mize was sitting on a 2.90 ERA over 6 starts before his adductor strain on April 28, and the Tigers liked his bullpens enough to skip a rehab assignment entirely. Toronto, meanwhile, is countering with Mason Fluharty as an opener — a 2-0 record with a 5.40 ERA is the polite way of saying this is a bullpen day.
- Day-To-DayGeovanny Jesus Planchart C — no
- Day-To-DayChay Yeager RP — Yeager will undergo season-ending UCL surgery on his right elbow Wednesday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.
- Day-To-DayCJ Stubbs C — The Blue Jays signed Stubbs to a minor-league contract Friday that includes an invitation to spring training.
- Day-To-DayJaven Coleman P — no
- 10-Day-ILNathan Lukes RF — Lukes (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment with the rookie-level Florida Complex League on Monday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.
- 10-Day-ILAddison Barger RF — Barger will undergo an MRI on his right elbow after waking up Sunday with limited range of motion, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILAlejandro Kirk C — Kirk (thumb) is expected to begin hitting this weekend, Brian Murphy of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILJose Berrios SP — Manager John Schneider said Friday that "surgery is on the table" for Berrios (elbow), Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.
- Day-To-DayTy Madden SP — X-rays on Madden's right forearm came back negative following his removal from Friday's game against Toronto, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
- Day-To-DayDugan Darnell RP — The Tigers announced Sunday that Darnell (hip) has been playing catch five times a week and is also taking part in a running progression, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
- 10-Day-ILGleyber Torres 2B — Manager A.J. Hinch said Friday that Torres (oblique) is "trending toward" beginning a rehab assignment, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILKerry Carpenter RF — The Tigers placed Carpenter on the 10-day injured list Sunday due to an AC joint sprain in his left shoulder.
- 15-Day-ILWill Vest RP — Vest (forearm) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo on Friday, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.
- 15-Day-ILCasey Mize SP — Manager A.J. Hinch said Friday that Mize (thigh) will start Saturday's game against the Blue Jays, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.
- 15-Day-ILTarik Skubal SP — Skubal (elbow) has resumed playing catch, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
- 60-Day-ILJustin Verlander SP — The Tigers transferred Verlander to the 60-day injured list Sunday.
The Blue Jays injury list reads like a rotation obituary. Jose Berrios has surgery "on the table" per John Schneider. Max Scherzer just got a cortisone shot for his thumb. Shane Bieber and Bowden Francis are on the 60-day. That's how a team ends up running an opener on a Saturday afternoon in May. Toronto has also lost 4 of its last 5 and is trying to halt a road slide that's part of the reason they're 19-25.
Vlad Jr. is the other anvil. He hit .122 with a .318 OPS in May entering this week, and his last home run came back on April 20. A lineup that was supposed to mash its way out of pitching problems isn't mashing. Against a guy like Mize — career-best 10.2 K/9 this year, three quality starts in five healthy outings — that's the kind of thing that turns into a 4-2 game in a hurry.
The market reflects all of it. Detroit is a -123 home favorite at Pinnacle with the moneyline EV grading out roughly even on both sides. DK has the Tigers at +105 with only 23% of the handle, which is the public siding with the road dog and Vlad bouncing back. Total sits at 8.5 at Pinnacle, 8 at DK — a small split worth noting if you're shopping the under given Mize's stuff and the Blue Jays opener structure favoring length-by-committee.
One Tigers wrinkle: Ty Madden left Friday's start with right forearm soreness. X-rays came back clean, but that's not nothing for a rotation already missing Tarik Skubal (elbow, playing catch) and Reese Olson. Detroit needed Mize back yesterday. He's back today, against a lineup that can't slug and a pitching plan that gives the Tigers' bats a parade of arms to time up. The setup tilts home, and the price reflects it.