When someone thinks of the Detroit Tigers, typically the first name that comes to mind is two-time Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Tarik Skubal. The Tigers then decided to beef up their starting rotation this offseason by adding both Framber Valdez and future Hall-of-Fame inductee Justin Verlander . But neither is the No. 2 to Skubal right now in the rotation. Instead, it is Casey Mize who is actually giving Skubal a run for his money right now, as Mize has a lower ERA while holding opponents to a lower batting average. Mize This Season Apr 22, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Casey Mize (12) throws a pitch at Comerica Park | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images Five starts into the new year, there isn't much more that manager AJ Hinch could want out of his starter. Mize started out of the gate hot with a quality outing as he retired nine in six innings while allowing a lone run on the road against the Arizona Diamondbacks.…