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)

NEW YORK (AP) — Kodai Senga's injury-delayed season debut for the New York Mets was cut short after 5 1/3 innings and 73 pitches when he strained his left calf while pitching against the Atlanta Braves on Friday night.

After inducing Austin Riley to pop up leading off the sixth, Senga pointed toward Pete Alonso and began sprinting off the mound to clear room for the first baseman. The 31-year-old right-hander grabbed his left calf and bounced for a couple steps before falling.

Senga held his calf as he was surrounded by catcher Francisco Alvarez, manager Carlos Mendoza, his interpreter and an athletic trainer. Senga and the trainer rubbed Senga’s calf before Senga got up, exchanged hugs and handshakes with teammates on the infield and limped off.

Senga, who missed the first 102 games with a right shoulder capsule strain, allowed just two hits — including Adam Duvall’s two-run homer in the second inning — while striking out nine. He retired his final 10 batters.

Runner-up to Arizona's Corbin Carroll for NL Rookie of the Year last season, Senga was 12-7 with a 2.98 ERA in 29 starts after signing a $75 million, five-year contract.

Senga began a minor league injury rehabilitation assignment on July 3 and went 0-0 with a 4.15 ERA in four starts, three for Triple-A Syracuse and one for Class A Brooklyn.

Right-handed reliever Eric Orze was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse and emerging reliever Dedniel Núñez was put on the 15-day injured list with a right pronator strain. Right-handers Adrian Houser and Shintaro Fujinami were designated for assignment.

Núñez, 2-0 with a 2.43 ERA and one save in 24 games, had an MRI that didn't reveal any elbow ligament damage, manager Carlos Mendoza said. The 28-year-old right-hander began feeling tightness following back-to-back appearances at Miami last Saturday and experienced discomfort again Wednesday,

Houser, acquired from Milwaukee with outfielder Tyrone Taylor on Dec. 20, was 1-5 with a 7.84 ERA and one save in seven starts and 16 relief appearances. He opened 0-3 with an 8.16 ERA in his first six starts before working himself into a late-inning bullpen role by going 1-1 with a 2.84 ERA in 12 appearances from May 10 through June 30.

Hauser was scored upon in all five of his outings this month with a 9.00 ERA.

“Even when we put him in the bullpen, he was always willing to take the baseball and do whatever the team needed,” Mendoza said. “He was such a professional. It was just hard for him to find that consistency.”

Fujinami signed to a $3.35 million, one-year deal and opened the season with Syracuse. He was recalled and placed on the 15-day injured list on May 13 with a strained right shoulder, then walked eight in 8 2/3 innings over nine rehab appearances since June 25.

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New York Mets' Kodai Senga, right, high-fives Luis Severino while walking into the dugout during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Friday, July 26, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

New York Mets' Kodai Senga gestures while walking into the dugout during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Friday, July 26, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

New York Mets' Kodai Senga (34) reacts as he leaves the field due to an injury during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Friday, July 26, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

New York Mets' Kodai Senga grabs his leg as he reacts to an injury during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Friday, July 26, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)