Detroit Tigers at Athletics

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DET	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	7	4	13	14	0
ATH	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	1

Casey Mize takes the ball for Detroit looking to keep a genuinely strong season rolling, while Jeffrey Springs limps into this one — literally, given the hip discomfort that's cut short his last two outings — trying to salvage a rough year for Sacramento's rotation.

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Total

Tigers(51-58)

LWLLL

13

-1.5+109-133o10.5-132

Athletics(45-64)

LLWLL

1

+1.5-142+133u10.5+102

Best BetTigers -145

Pregame

Mize has been one of the quieter bright spots in Detroit's rotation, and Springs is fighting through a hip issue that's cut short back-to-back starts. This is about as clean a pitching mismatch as you'll find, and it makes the Tigers the easy side to back outright even with Detroit stumbling lately.

Springs was pulled in the second inning of his last start against the Twins with right hip soreness, charged with 4 earned runs in just 1.1 innings, and it's the second time in as many turns through the rotation that the hip has forced an early exit. Mize, by contrast, has quietly turned into one of the better stories in Detroit's rotation — 6 innings, 1 run, 3 strikeouts against the Royals in his last start, even while working through some nagging injury issues of his own. That imbalance on the mound is the whole ballgame here.

Tyler Holton

(1-4)·2.68 ERA

May 4 vs Red Sox

ND

1.0IP

0ER

1K

0BB

22P

07/31 Lineup

Jeffrey Springs

(3-11)·6.17 ERA

Jul 26 @ Twins

L

1.1IP

4ER

0K

1BB

36P

07/31 Lineup

None of this happens in a vacuum, either. Detroit's approaching Monday's trade deadline with Tarik Skubal drawing serious interest from contenders, and A.J. Hinch says the club is trying to block out the noise. Across the diamond, the Athletics are dealing with the opposite problem — a last-place club with holes at catcher (Shea Langeliers just had knee surgery) and designated hitter (Brent Rooker done for the year), leaning on kids like Jacob Wilson and Lawrence Butler to make this thing watchable.

Detroit's bullpen deserves a mention too, and not a flattering one. Two nights before this series, the Tigers blew a 7-run lead against Baltimore and lost in 12 innings — the kind of gut-punch that lingers. Sandwiched around it was a 14-0 blowout win, so this is a team capable of both ends of the spectrum right now, and Mize starting is about as much stability as Detroit can ask for after that kind of week.

Detroit Tigers

(51-58)

Jul 29Lvs Orioles9-10

Jul 28Wvs Orioles14-0

Jul 27Lvs Orioles5-8

Jul 26Lvs Royals4-5

Jul 25Lvs Royals2-3

Athletics

(45-64)

Jul 31Lvs Red Sox4-5

Jul 30Lvs Red Sox2-4

Jul 29Wvs Red Sox4-3

Jul 28Lvs Red Sox2-4

Jul 26L@ Twins8-11

For the Athletics, it's more of the same story that's defined their season under Mark Kotsay, who hasn't had a winning year since taking over in 2022. They just dropped 3 of 4 to the Red Sox at Sutter Health Park, including a walk-off-style gut punch on back-to-back eighth-inning homers. The fanbase has embraced the Sacramento chapter, but the product on the field is still the worst record in the American League.

Detroit Tigers

(13)

• Day-To-DayMatt Vierling (CF) — Vierling left Wednesday's game against the Orioles due to groin tightness, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.07/29
• 10-Day-ILKerry Carpenter (RF) — Carpenter (foot) received a cortisone injection Tuesday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.07/28
• 15-Day-ILJack Flaherty (SP) — Manager A.J. Hinch said Tuesday that he expects Flaherty (forearm) to be on the injured list beyond the 15-day minimum, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.07/28
• 60-Day-ILJackson Jobe (SP) — Jobe (elbow) struck out four and allowed one earned run on two hits and two walks across four innings in a rehab start Saturday with Double-A Erie.07/27
• 60-Day-ILBrant Hurter (RP) — Hurter (spine) threw a bullpen session Friday, MLB.com reports.07/26
• 60-Day-ILBurch Smith (RP) — Smith is being evaluated after exiting a rehab appearance with Triple-A Toledo on Thursday with right shoulder/lat discomfort, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.07/24
• 60-Day-ILWill Vest (RP) — Detroit transferred Vest (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Sunday.07/19
• 60-Day-ILBailey Horn (RP) — Horn (elbow) will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.07/18
• 60-Day-ILJustin Verlander (SP) — Verlander (hamstring/hip) announced Wednesday via social media that he will retire following the 2026 season.07/08
• 60-Day-ILWenceel Perez (RF) — Perez (orbital) played light catch on the field at Comerica Park on Tuesday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.07/07
• 60-Day-ILParker Meadows (CF) — Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Tuesday that Meadows (forearm) has yet to resume hitting and is without a timeline to return from the 60-day injured list, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.06/25
• 60-Day-ILTrey Sweeney (SS) — Sweeney will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery this week, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.06/05
• 60-Day-ILReese Olson (SP) — The Tigers placed Olson on the 60-day injured list Tuesday after he underwent a right shoulder labral repair Feb. 2 that will result in him missing the 2026 season.05/08

Athletics

(12)

• Day-To-DayJeffrey Springs (SP) — Springs (hip) is expected to be available the next time his turn in the rotation comes up Friday versus the Tigers in Sacramento, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.07/27
• 10-Day-ILShea Langeliers (C) — The Athletics announced that Langeliers underwent a successful medial meniscectomy Tuesday in Los Angeles and also received a platelet-rich plasma injection for his right knee, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.07/28
• 10-Day-ILZack Gelof (3B) — Gelof (knee) is continuing a running progression and participating in baseball activities, per MLB.com.07/28
• 10-Day-ILJoshua Kuroda-Grauer (3B) — Kuroda-Grauer was diagnosed with a testicular contusion after exiting Monday's 5-2 win over the Diamondbacks, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.07/21
• 15-Day-ILJ.T. Ginn (SP) — Ginn (finger) threw a bullpen Monday and is scheduled to throw another one Wednesday, per MLB.com.07/28
• 15-Day-ILJustin Sterner (RP) — Sterner earned his first save of the season in Wednesday's extra-inning win over the Cubs. He tossed a perfect inning while striking out one.07/18
• 60-Day-ILMark Leiter Jr. (RP) — Leiter will undergo surgery Tuesday to address a right hip impingement and is expected to miss the remainder of the season, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.07/30
• 60-Day-ILLuis Severino (SP) — Severino (shoulder) began a throwing progression Saturday, per MLB.com.07/28
• 60-Day-ILDenzel Clarke (CF) — Manager Mark Kotsay said Saturday that Clarke (hamstring) is nearing a rehab assignment, Jason Burke of Roundtable.io reports.07/19
• 60-Day-ILBrent Rooker (DH) — Rooker will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a cartilage tear in his left knee, Jason Burke of Roundtable.io reports.07/17
• 60-Day-ILBrooks Kriske (RP) — Kriske (shoulder) began a throwing progression Thursday, MLB.com reports.06/16
• 60-Day-ILGunnar Hoglund (SP) — Hoglund (knee/back) will be sidelined for the rest of the 2026 season after undergoing surgery on his left hip Monday.05/20

Put it together and this reads like a get-right spot for a Tigers team that badly needs one. Mize gives them length and control, Detroit's lineup has shown it can erupt when it clicks, and the A's are down key middle-of-the-order pieces with a starter who can't finish 2 innings healthy. Whether Detroit's bullpen can hold whatever lead Mize hands them is the only real question left.