Tigers News: Casey Mize rehab, Dillon Dingler's first career HR, Mark Canha revenge

The Detroit Tigers narrowly avoided a sweep at the hands of the San Francisco Giants over the weekend, thanks in large part to the heroics of rookie catcher Dillon Dingler in Sunday's contest at Oracle Park.

Playing in just his seventh MLB game, Dingler went 2-for-4 with a double, a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Giants. Having entered the contest with just three hits in 22 plate appearances, Dingler collected both his first home run and first multi-hit game at the MLB level. Through seven appearances, he is now batting .208 with a .727 OPS.

Dingler has been splitting time behind the plate with Jake Rogers, though the latter has been absent from the lineup for back-to-back games after going just 1-for-23 with 11 strikeouts over his last seven games. If Dingler can build momentum off of Sunday's electric offensive performance, the Tigers may end up going with him behind the dish for the foreseeable future.

Mark Canha walks it off against the Tigers in Oracle Park debut Saturday

Of course it was Mark Canha.

The veteran outfielder and Bay Area native, playing in his first game at Oracle Park since the Tigers traded him to San Francisco last month, was the ninth-inning hero in the Giants' win against his former team on Saturday.

After Tigers pitchers Beau Brieske and Kenta Maeda held the Giants hitless through six innings, Canha singled and scored the tying run for San Francisco in the eighth. He delivered again in his next at-bat with a one-out, bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth to break a 2-2 tie against Detroit and win it for the Giants ... all the while using Gio Urshela's bat?! What?!

Not the flashiest of endings, but it got the job done. In 93 games for Detroit this season, Canha slashed .231/.337/.350 with seven home runs and 38 RBI. Meanwhile, in seven games with San Francisco, he's slashing .348/.407/.391, complete with a walk-off RBI against his former team. Always seems to work out that way, doesn't it?

Casey Mize looks sharp in first rehab start with Triple-A Toledo

Tigers right-handed pitcher Casey Mize, who has been on the injured list since July 3 with a left hamstring strain, began his rehab assignment at Triple-A Toledo on Thursday. He looked sharp, striking out two batters and allowing three hits and one walk over 2 1/3 scoreless innings. Mize threw 35 pitches in the start and generated six whiffs on 15 swings. His fastball averaged 93.5 mph, topping out at 98.2 mph.

Mize is scheduled to make the second start of his rehab assignment Tuesday with Toledo. It will mark the second of four total rehab starts that the right-hander is expected to make in the minor leagues before returning from the 60-day injured list around the time that he's first eligible on Aug. 30.

More Tigers content from Motor City Bengals