Detroit Tigers Approaching Near Crisis Territory with Another Pitching Injury

The Detroit Tigers have been one of baseball's best teams over the first half of the season, but over the last few weeks, the wheels have started to come off a little bit.

Injuries and inconsistency have slowed the momentum a little bit as the Tigers have had to find innings from unlikely sources. A situation on Sunday afternoon that will have to be monitored in the coming days though could prove to be an absolute disaster.

Detroit's resurgent right-hander Casey Mize was pulled from his start after a stark drop in velocity as the training staff examined his right leg.

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A previous injury this season which kept Mize out for two weeks was a left hamstring strain, and he missed two months last season with a hamstring issue also on the left leg. If this issue is indeed to the right leg, it would obviously be unrelated.

Regardless of exactly what the injury is, if it costs Mize time again, this team could be in some serious trouble.

Tarik Skubal and Jack Flaherty are the only starters who have remained healthy all season, and Flaherty's game is trending in the wrong direction right now.

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Though the Tigers are hopeful to get Reese Olson back soon, rookie sensation Jackson Jobe is already out for the year with Tommy John, and Detroit can hardly afford to lose another starter.

Filling a spot at the back end of the rotation with "pitching chaos" is a strategy which can work out in the long-term. But if the Tigers are faced with three vacant holes, they are going to have a major problem on their hands.

This is a team who for significant portions of the regular season has looked capable of competing for an American League pennant, but right now it's going to be difficult to even get through the second half of the season.

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Mize's injury history does not exactly inspire confidence that this was just a scare, and Detroit is going to hold their breath until an exact diagnosis is revealed.

No matter what the issue is though, the Tigers are at a point where starting pitching is becoming the biggest trade deadline need.

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If they are indeed down another starter, they might not be able to wait until the deadline to make a move.

Keep an eye on Detroit as a team who could make a pitching move as soon as the next week or two.

For more Tigers news, head over to Tigers On SI.