KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Detroit Tigers right-hander Casey Mize worked in and out of trouble for nearly his entire night.
The 24-year-old grinded his way through five innings, departing from his second start of the season with the game tied. The Tigers' offense sparked for two runs with two outs in the seventh inning, enough for a 4-2 win in Thursday's series opener against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.
The Tigers (3-4) benefitted from RBI singles off the bats of Victor Reyes and Austin Meadows in the seventh, though Eric Haase's pinch-hit single kept the inning alive for the top of the order to deliver against left-handed reliever Jake Brentz.