Tigers-Mets rained out again; Matt Manning to start Game 2 of Thursday doubleheader

New York — We all knew Matt Manning would be back up with the Tigers at some point this season. Maybe not quite this soon, though.

Although it's likely to be a temporary promotion, Manning will be summoned from Triple-A Toledo as the 27th man and will start in the second game of a make-up, traditional doubleheader against the Mets at Citi Field.

The steady rain that forced the postponement of the Tigers-Mets game on Tuesday night came down harder and colder and with more wind and flood warnings on Wednesday. Which facilitated the makeup doubleheader Thursday, which will start at 12:10 p.m. Game 2 will start approximately 30 minutes after the first one ends.

The two-day break was the last thing either team wanted. It cost them an off-day on Thursday. The Mets, who have lost their first four games of the season, have at least been home for their first two series. The Tigers, who won their first four games to start a season for the first time since 2015, haven’t been back to Detroit since before spring training.

And they will arrive in Detroit late Thursday night ahead of the home opener scheduled for 1:10 p.m. Friday at Comerica Park.

“We will be ready either way,” manager AJ Hinch said Tuesday night.

The wait is especially agonizing for Tigers’ right-hander Casey Mize. He’s spent most of the last two years rehabbing from back and elbow surgeries. He will pitch the first game of the doubleheader, his first regular-season start in 721 days.

And in calling up Manning, the Tigers will push lefty Tarik Skubal's start to Friday. He will have the rare distinction of starting both the season-opener and the home opener in the same season.

Manning, despite a solid spring, was the odd-man out in the Tigers intense rotation battle this spring, beat out by Mize and Reese Olson.

"When we talk about the competition, we have to decide who we think won it,” Hinch said on the day last month when Manning was optioned. “We felt Casey and Reese did a tick better. It’s not an indictment on Matt. It’s more of a strength that we have. We all know Matt is going to pitch in the big leagues. He’s going to help us as soon as possible."

Manning, who completely revamped his arsenal in the offseason adding a split-change and added a second shape on his slider, made one start for Toledo. He allowed a run and three hits with seven strikeouts in five innings in the Mud Hens' season opener. The one run came on a solo home run, which was his only worrisome issue this spring when six of the eight hits he allowed were homers.

The expectation is, unless there is an unannounced injury to one of the Tigers' starting pitchers, Manning will go back to Toledo after his start. Though there is a recent precedent for a 27th man sticking. Zack Short last season came up as a 27th man, hit two home runs and was never optioned back down.

The Mets will start right-handers Adrian Houser and Jose Butto, the latter also called up as the 27th man. The Mets also signed veteran Julio Teheran on Wednesday.

Tigers at Mets

▶ First pitch: Game 1 at 12:10 p.m. Thursday at Citi Field, Queens, New York. Second game starts about 30 minutes after the completion of the first

▶ TV/radio: Bally Sports Detroit/97.1 FM

Scouting report

Game 1

▶ RHP Casey Mize (season debut), Tigers: It’s been 721 days since Mize last pitched in a regular-season game. To make him wait an extra two days seemed cruel, but after all the work he put in to make it back from elbow and back surgery, he’s unlikely to be deterred. He’s added 2-3 mph to his fastball velocity and several more inches of vertical ride through the zone. His ability to challenge hitters at the top of the zone with fastballs is potentially a game-changer for him.

▶ RHP Adrian Houser (season debut), Mets: The Tigers faced the former Brewer this spring and he was nasty, punching out five in 3.1 innings. In his eighth season and first in New York, Houser is a bit of a throwback in the sense that he pitches more to contact, looking for quick outs and not necessarily strikeouts. He had a 46% ground ball rate last season, also a 46% hard-hit rate, which was the highest of his career.  

Game 2

▶ RHP Matt Manning (season debut), Tigers: Summoned from Triple-A Toledo as the 27^th man, Manning will make his second start of the season. He was the Mud Hens’ Opening Day starter and he struck out seven and allowed one run in five innings. He narrowly lost out in the Tigers’ rotation battle to Mize and Reese Olson, despite a strong showing this spring. He’s added a second slider shape and gone to a split-change grip on his offspeed pitch.

▶ RHP Jose Butto (season debut), Mets: Also summoned as the 27^th man, Butto gave up two earned runs and five hits in five innings in his Triple-A debut for Syracuse. He’s pitched in parts of the last two seasons with the Mets. He features a sneaky good fastball (94 mph) and his most-used secondary pitch has been a changeup. He will use a slider to right-handed hitters.

chris.mccosky@detroitnews.com

@cmccosky