The Detroit Tigers have caught fire after going 0-3 against the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Tigers will try to stay hot in the spring cold when they host the New York Yankees for a three-game series that begins on Monday.
The Tigers completed a three-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, posting three ninth-inning runs for a 4-3 victory. Spencer Torkelson hit a two-run double to complete the comeback.
“We’re never out of it,” Torkelson said. “We feel like we’ve got a chance as long as we keep the line moving.”
Detroit has won five of its last six games.
“It’s not always perfect. It wasn’t a great start to this game,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “But they stayed in the competition and found a way. This team is built the right way.”
All of the games in the series have been moved to the afternoon due to chilly forecasts.
Right-hander Casey Mize (1-0) will start the series opener for Detroit. Mize made a stellar season debut on Tuesday, limiting Seattle to one hit in 5 2/3 innings. He walked three and struck out six.
Mize allowed two baserunners in the first inning, then settled in during a 4-1 Tigers victory.
“I just saw him use his whole repertoire and get after it,” Hinch said. “When he got himself out of the first inning, when he was spraying it a little bit and had a hard time getting into the game, then he fell into an incredible rhythm, pounding the zone and he had the split going and was pretty pitch-efficient. You throw all that together in the same game, you get that kind of performance.”
The No. 1 overall pick of the 2018 draft, Mize had to earn a spot on the roster and the rotation during spring training. He had a 2-6 record and 4.49 ERA in 22 appearances last season (20 starts) after recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Mize is 0-1 with a 5.23 ERA in two career starts against the Yankees.
New York will counter with left-hander Carlos Rodon (1-1, 3.97 ERA). In his last outing, Rodon gave up four runs and three hits in six innings against Arizona on Wednesday. He also walked four batters.
“I gave some free passes,” Rodon said. “I gave them some easy runs. I needed to be a little more crisp.”
The Diamondbacks scored all of their runs in the first two innings.
“(Rodon) was searching to find the strike zone a little bit there in those first couple of innings, but I thought stuff-wise, once he settled in, he was pretty good,” manager Aaron Boone said.
Rodon has made 13 career starts against the Tigers, posting a 6-4 record and 5.48 ERA.
The Yankees had a three-game winning streak snapped on Sunday as they lost to Pittsburgh in 11 innings, 5-4. They tied the game with three runs in the ninth but didn’t score in extra innings.
“Not being able to push (a run) across a few times (in extras) just caught up with us,” Boone said. “Little bit of a tough day for us offensively, but what a great rally there in the ninth to get us back into it.”
