Casey Mize throws 6 shutout innings for 1st win since 2021 as Tigers beat Twins 6-1

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Casey Mize pitched six scoreless innings for his major league win since 2021, and Buddy Kennedy homered and drove in three runs as the Detroit Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins 6-1 on Sunday.

Spencer Torkelson had two hits, scored twice and knocked in two runs. Riley Greene scored three times for the Tigers, who improved to 8-3 on the road.

Mize (1-0) gave up five hits, walked three and struck out four in his first victory since Aug. 24, 2021, at St. Louis. The top pick in the 2018 amateur draft missed nearly all of the past two seasons because of Tommy John surgery and a back operation.

“I always want the guys to think that they can win when I pitch,” Mize said. “My stuff wasn’t great, but ‘compete’ was probably the biggest word of the day. I was just trying to get outs with what I had.”

The Twins have lost six of seven and are hitting .195, the second-worst batting average in the big leagues.

“We’ve got some guys who took their shirts off and their jerseys off and they’re in (the cage) hitting right now,” manager Rocco Baldelli said after the game. “That kind of tells you the way things are going at the moment. They’re not going the way we want.”

Minnesota rookie Austin Martin led off the ninth with his first career home run, connecting off Alex Faedo to spoil the shutout.

Twins right-hander Louie Varland (0-4) was wild from the start. He walked the first two batters he faced and, after getting a groundout, gave up a single and another walk. Kerry Carpenter’s base hit and Kennedy’s sacrifice fly drove in runs to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead.

“I didn’t have much feel for many pitches that first inning and tried to adjust,” said Varland, who needed 39 pitches to get through the first. “I adjusted, threw more strikes, but my stuff wasn’t as sharp or as good.”

Mize had an early bout of wildness as well, walking two of the first four hitters he faced, but he retired Martin on a lineout and Willi Castro on a flyout to leave the bases loaded in the first.

“It was just a battle from pitch one,” Mize said. “Long inning in the top half ... (but) if I leave the game and there’s a zero in the run column, it’s hard not to be happy with that.”

Varland pitched around a leadoff walk in the second, but didn’t make it out of the third inning. Torkelson led off with a single, and Varland hit Carpenter with a pitch to put two runners on.

A double play put Varland on the verge of pitching out of trouble, but he left a cutter over the middle to Kennedy, who deposited it in the left-field stands for a two-run homer. That ended Varland’s day and perhaps his current stint as the Twins’ No. 5 starter, as his ERA climbed to 9.18 through four starts this year.

“It’s everything I asked for, I trained for this offseason,” said Varland, who lobbied for a return to the rotation after a successful run in the bullpen late last season. “Going into camp I had the opportunity right in front of me and it’s just not ideal how it’s been going.”

The Tigers tacked on single runs with Torkelson's RBI double in the seventh and his sacrifice fly in the ninth.

Tyler Holton worked two hitless innings in relief of Mize.

UP NEXT

Tigers: LHP Tarik Skubal (2-0, 2.28 ERA) will go for his seventh straight victory when Detroit plays Monday night at Tampa Bay. Skubal hasn’t lost since Aug. 29, 2023.

Twins: RHP Chris Paddack (0-1, 8.36) takes the mound as Minnesota opens a four-game series at home against the White Sox.

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Louie Varland delivers during the third inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Sunday, April 21, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Minnesota Twins pitcher Louie Varland (37) reacts after a two-run home run by Detroit Tigers' Buddy Kennedy during the third inning of a baseball game Sunday, April 21, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Minnesota Twins' Austin Martin runs the bases after hitting a solo home run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Sunday, April 21, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Detroit Tigers' Buddy Kennedy, right, celebrates in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Sunday, April 21, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Detroit Tigers pitcher Alex Faedo (49) and catcher Jake Rogers, right, shake hands after their win over the Minnesota Twins of a baseball game Sunday, April 21, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Detroit Tigers' Kerry Carpenter (30) hits an RBI single during the first inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Sunday, April 21, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Casey Mize delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Sunday, April 21, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Casey Mize delivers during the second inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Sunday, April 21, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Georgia's attorney general says city officials in Savannah overstepped their authority by making it illegal to leave firearms in unlocked cars.

Savannah's mayor and city council in April enacted the new city ordinance aimed at making it harder for criminals to steal guns, citing local police statistics showing more than 200 guns reported stolen last year from vehicles that weren't locked. The law carries maximum penalties of a $1,000 fine and 30 days in jail.

State Attorney General Chris Carr, a Republican, said in a letter to Savannah officials Friday that the gun ordinance runs afoul of a state law that prohibits local governments from regulating “the possession, ownership, transport, (or) carrying” of firearms.

"Because the General Assembly has expressly designated the regulation of firearms as an issue of general, state-wide concern, no local ordinance can regulate firearms,” Carr wrote.

Carr's letter foreshadows a likely court battle over whether city governments like Savannah's can impose gun safety measures that have received little support in a state legislature dominated by Republicans. A lawsuit filed in Chatham Count Superior Court last week by a man described as frequent visitor to Savannah asks a judge to halt enforcement of the city's gun ordinance.

Savannah Mayor Van Johnson said Monday that City Hall isn't budging. A Democrat and former police officer, Johnson supported the city's ordinance as a way to make gun owners act responsibly without infringing on their rights to own or carry firearms.

“We certainly encourage our citizens to exercise their Second Amendment rights,” Johnson said in a statement Monday, “but this ordinance remains in effect and will continue to be enforced.”

Savannah's city council voted unanimously April 11 to require parked vehicles to be locked when guns are stored inside and to require people to report gun thefts to police within 24 hours. No one spoke against the ordinance during a public comment period at City Hall, where it was supported by members of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.

According to Savannah police, there were 244 guns reported stolen from vehicles last year and 203 of them were taken from unlocked cars. Police have reported a similar number so far this year, with 56 of 69 thefts coming from unlocked cars.

Before Savannah took action, gun control advocates earlier this year failed to persuade state lawmakers to adopt a $300 state income tax credit to pay for gun locks, gun safes and safety classes.

In his letter, Carr noted that Georgia courts have struck down prior gun restrictions imposed by local governments. He cited a 2007 ruling by the Georgia Court of Appeals that overturned a Coweta County ordinance prohibiting firearms at sports fields and other recreational facilities operated by the county.

Carr's letter warned city officials they could face civil liability for enforcing it.

“Given this concern alone, it appears that the City should give immediate consideration to rescinding its approval” of the gun ordinance, Carr said.

FILE - Savannah Mayor Van Johnson speaks during a new conference, March 11, 2020, in Savannah, Ga. Georgia's attorney general says city officials in Savannah overstepped their authority by making it illegal to leave firearms in unlocked cars. (AP Photo/Russ Bynum, File)

FILE - Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr speaks during a news conference, Sept. 5, 2023, at the Georgia Department of Public Safety in Atlanta. Georgia's attorney general says city officials in Savannah, Ga., overstepped their authority by making it illegal to leave firearms in unlocked cars. (Natrice Miller/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, File)