The Detroit Tigers issued jersey No. 74 to Casey Mize and for the

LAKELAND Paul Konerko Jersey , Fla. (AP) — next few days, he will be just one of 31 pitchers in camp, trying to get his arm and body ready for a long baseball season.But the 21-year-old right-hander was the No. 1 pick in the Major League Baseball draft last June, and as Detroit’s No. 1 hope for the future, he was bound to attract more than his share of attention, even while just trying to fit in.“When you’re a draft pick like that, everybody’s staring at you anyway,” manager Ron Gardenhire said. “You’ve got your name on your back and everybody’s paying attention and you can put more pressure on yourself.”Not much pressure yet, says Mize.“I’m super excited, but I don’t think there’s much different adrenaline just because of the time frame,” he said after his first outdoor workout in a big league training camp. “I think probably when I get on the mound in a game situation, there’ll be more adrenaline.”That appearance is almost certain to come within the next two or three weeks and could well be the highlight of the Tigers’ spring.“We’ll work him in some games http://www.whitesoxfanproshop.com/authentic-carlos-rodon-jersey ,” said pitching coach Rick Anderson, who has been impressed by Mize’s early-morning arrivals and scientific approach to pitching.“I called him over the other day and I said: “You’re going to lead by example with what you do.’ You watch him work and he gets after it. He’s focused and driven,” Anderson said.That’s fine by Mize.“I’m not really trying to set an example for other people,” he said. “I’m just trying to do what I need to do, honestly, and if people look at that and see positive, that’s great.”The Tigers saw enough positives out of Mize at Auburn University to draft him first and give him a $7.5 million signing bonus eight months ago. He made one start in the Gulf Coast League and four starts for Lakeland in the Florida State League, pitching 13 2/3 innings and giving up six earned runs while striking out 14.“That was the plan, to just make a handful of starts and then shut it down, just so I can get my feet wet,” he said. “I think we executed that well.”Now he’s in a big league camp as a non-roster invitee.“Just looking around and seeing the names on the back of the jerseys has been kind of cool for me,” he said. “Small things like that Nellie Fox Jersey , just kind of putting into perspective where I am and how happy I am to be here.”Mize brought along a new pitch, which is in the early stages of development.“It’s going to act kind of like a slurve,” he said. “It’s not going to be like a sweeping slider, it’s not going to be like a vertical breaking ball. It’s going to be somewhere in between.”To this point, his routine isn’t all that different from what he did last year at Auburn — stretching, playing catch, conditioning. The last thing the Tigers want to see is Mize overthrowing.“What those guys want to do right now is fit right and not be noticed,” Gardenhire said. “It is about calming down and relaxing and not trying do too much. If you throw the ball 95, throw it 95. Don’t try to throw it 105. Don’t try to make the ball spin more because you’re in a big league camp.“Just be you. There’s a reason you got drafted. Let’s just get our bodies in shape and then we’ll go from there.” KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Mike Montgomery continues to dominate the club that drafted him out of high school.Montgomery allowed five hits over six-plus innings, David Bote drove in a career-high three runs and the Chicago Cubs beat the Kansas City Royals 5-0 Tuesday night.The Cubs upped their NL Central lead to 2 ½ games over second-place Milwaukee, which lost in San Diego.Montgomery (4-4) http://www.whitesoxfanproshop.com/authentic-harold-baines-jersey , who the Royals drafted in the first round in 2008, picked up his first win since June 29. Montgomery is 3-0 with a 0.40 ERA in four appearances against the Royals.“I’ve heard the numbers of what I’ve got against them throughout my career,” Montgomery said. “I think it’s a coincidence. Sometimes you just have a team that you do well against. It happens to be them. They’ve had some good teams over the last couple of years. The team that drafts you, you always want to pitch good against them.”Bote’s first career triple with two out in the first scored Ben Zobrist and Jason Heyward. His fifth inning single scored Javier Baez.“It’s kind of just morphed in over the years,” said Bote, who is in his fifth stint with the Cubs this season after six-plus years in the minors. “The nerves are always there. The adrenalin’s there. Being able to use those emotions into a good avenue, being able to think ‘I’m going to attack this baseball’ or ‘I’m ready for this pitch.’ Put a positive spin on it and just executing.”Victor Caratini, who led off the inning with a single, scored on Zobrist’s sacrifice fly. Zobrist left in the bottom of the inning with left hip tightness, but will likely play Wednesday.“That fifth inning just kind of snowballed on me,” losing pitcher Brad Keller said.Ian Happ’s sacrifice fly in the eighth scored Bote with the final run.Keller (4-5) was removed after six innings, allowing four runs on seven hits and three walks.“He kept us in the game Luke Appling Jersey ,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “He made pitches and limited the damage when he needed to. I thought he was going to get out of the first inning scoreless, but he threw a slider that Bote hit off the wall in the right field for two runs.”The Royals had only one runner past second base, when Adalberto Mondesi swiped third in the seventh.“We just couldn’t do anything against Montgomery,” Yost said. “He did a nice job of mixing up his pitches. He was ahead in the count for the most part and did a good job of keeping us off balance.”The Royals have lost six straight and are 14-43 since May 30. They are tied with Baltimore for the worst record, 34-79, in the majors.BRYANT UPDATECubs 3B Kris Bryant took grounders and played catch, but has not picked up a bat since going on the disabled list on July 24 for the second time with left shoulder inflammation. “I’m really bored, not fun at all,” Bryant said. “But you gotta do what you gotta do to get healthy and hopefully it never happens again. It’s frustrating. It’s not fun to go in the trainer’s room every day. I feel like I’m normal but it’s only when I’m swinging the bat.” No timetable has been set on when the 2016 NL MVP player will return. “I’m not going to get ahead of myself,” he said.HEYWARD BATS FOURTHRF Jason Heyward batted cleanup for the first time this season for the Cubs.ROYALS MAKE TRADEThe Royals acquired RHP Jon Perrin from the Brewers in a minor league trade. Perrin, 25, went to Olathe East http://www.whitesoxfanproshop.com/authentic-bo-jackson-jersey , a suburban Kansas City high school, and Oklahoma State. He was assigned to their Double-A Northwest Arkansas club. The Royals sent Lexington RHP Sal Biasi to the Brewers.TRAINER’S ROOMCubs: RHP Anthony Bass (right mid-thoracic strain) tossed a flawless inning Tuesday for the Triple-A Iowa Cubs against Las Vegas. Bass threw eight pitches, all strikes, in his second rehab appearance since going on the DL on July 21.Royals: RHP Ian Kennedy (left oblique strain) threw a bullpen session for the first time since going on the DL on July 11. . OF Brian Goodwin (left groin strain) is eligible to come off the disabled list Wednesday, but manager Ned Yost said he would not. “I’m not sure what their timeline is,” Goodwin said. “I just keep getting better every day.”UP NEXTCubs: LHP Jose Quintana, who is 3-9 versus the Royals, will start the series finale.Royals: RHP Heath Fillmyer is looking for his first big league victory.