Casey Mize Gets Another Shot at the Yankees: Key Adjustments to Watch

The Detroit Tigers will send Casey Mize to the mound, who's looking to get himself some redemption from his last outing against the New York Yankees.

Detroit Tigers pitcher Casey Mize (12) talks to catcher Dillon Dingler (13) as they walk off the field. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Detroit Tigers ended their 10-game homestand on a worse note than how they began, ending their stay in Detroit with a 5-5 record. Now, the Tigers head to New York to take on the Yankees in what had the makings of being a big series, and very well could still be.

Detroit enters a six-game road trip with a 35-49 record and is nine games back in the AL Central division and 6.5 games back of an AL Wild Card spot. Signs are starting to point toward the Tigers being sellers at the trade deadline, which could include the series-opening pitcher against New York, Casey Mize.

Mize will get another crack at taking down the Bronx Bombers as his last outing didn't go as well as he had hoped. Pitching in 5.2 innings at Comerica Park, Mize allowed eight hits and four runs to come across in his last outing, including surrendering a home run to Jazz Chisholm.

But Mize deserves some slack, as he's been arguably the best starting pitcher for the Tigers when healthy in 2026, pitching to a 2.95 ERA with 56 strikeouts and limited walk numbers. Knowing what he's capable of, here's what Mize needs to improve from his last outing and take into this one.

Adjustments to Watch

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Casey Mize (12) throws a pitch. | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

For starters, Mize has to keep the ball in the ballpark. In June, Mize has allowed two long balls, the first time he's allowed more than one home run in a month this season. The long ball bit Mize early on in his career, but he's neutralized them as he's gotten more experience under his belt.

According to Baseball Savant, Mize threw 38 four-seam fastballs, 27 splitters, and 21 sliders against the Yankees on June 23. A handful of splitters and sliders were left up, resulting in seven hard-hit balls compared to 11 non-hard-hit balls. The ratio isn't bad, but there's room for better results.

Baseball Savant: Pitcher Report, Casey Mize pitches in the strike zone. | Baseball Savant

Additionally, in his last outing against the Yankees, Mize allowed nine ground balls to nine fly balls, which isn't a poor ratio. In 2026, Mize, funny enough, is a fly-ball pitcher, so he knows how to remain comfortable in that department. But in June, with the weather heating up, it's best if he finds ways to get hitters to roll over his splitter or fastball to find success, especially at Yankee Stadium.

When pitching at Yankee Stadium in his career, Mize holds a 5.56 ERA in 11.1 innings of work. While it's not an adjustment to be made from his last start, there needs to be an adjustment in his overall road game against the Yankees.