Days of Roar: A Free Press Sports Detroit Tigers Podcast

As Evan Petzold returns from paternity leave, the Detroit Tigers hold the best record in the American League (22-13) and lead MLB with a plus-63 run differential through 35 games in the 2025 season. They've also launched a league-leading 20 home runs since April 28, doing so in the first seven games of their 10-game road trip. What has stood out most over the first 35 games? And what should we expect from Javier Báez moving forward?

Tigers radio analyst Bobby Scales joins the Days of Roar podcast to break down Detroit's early success, hitting coach Michael Brdar's game planning, and how opposing pitchers are adjusting to Spencer Torkelson, plus he shares his take on Báez's resurgence.To close the show, Evan and Mark Gorosh analyze the Tigers' decision to cut struggling pitcher Kenta Maeda, share injury updates and debate a key question: Which former No. 1 overall pick inspires more confidence — Spencer Torkelson or Casey Mize?

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After a series loss to the Milwaukee Brewers last week, the Tigers went on to clinch series wins against the Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres, and sweep the Baltimore Orioles. With Evan still away handling baby Petzold duties, Mark brings back Freep high school sports reporter and current pinch Tigers beat reporter Jared Ramsey to help discuss what factors are leading to the Tigers’ strong start to the 2025 season. Beyond valuable pitching from both starters and the bullpen, the guys hone in on the noteworthy month Zach McKinstry is having, as well as the impact Dillon Dingler is making with his bat and behind the plate. Mark and Jared also discuss the continued positive contributions of Javier Báez and Spencer Torkelson. The guys also offer updates on the rehab timelines for Matt Vierling, Parker Meadows, and check in on the minor leaguers including Bryce Rainer.

With Evan still out on the PL (paternity leave), Mark brings in Detroit Free Press high school sports reporter Jared Ramsey, who’s been covering the Tigers for the past week. The guys talk the team’s series loss to the Milwaukee Brewers and series win over the Kansas City Royals. Jared and Mark cover the strong starts from Casey Mike, Jackson Jobe and how Spencer Torkelson is continuing to hit this season. While the vibes overall for the team remain good, not all is well for the Tigers as Riley Greene’s slump continues to linger. The guys take a deep dive into what’s looking different so far for the star outfielder. Later in the show, Mark and Jared preview the upcoming matchups against the San Diego Padres and Baltimore Orioles. The guys also offer updates on player injuries at both the major and minor leagues, plus Mark proposes a dark horse free agent candidate the team could pursue for bullpen help that fans should recognize.

With a 4-2 week, the Detroit Tigers have remained competitive while missing some key pieces due to injuries. With Evan still away, Mark brings on a cavalcade of content creators that cover the organization at the major and minor league levels. To start off the show, manager of Bless You Boys Brandon Day helps Mark summarize what factors aid the team in winning series. After the break, along with Brandon, Mark welcomes to the show Rogelio Castillo and Chris Brown of The Detroit Tigers Minor League Report to share injury updates on two of the Tigers’ vital prospects. Scott Bentley of Locked on Tigers shares his general impressions with the team so far into this season and helps preview the matchup Milwaukee Brewers. Plus, friend of the pod Mike Sicilia shares insights into what to do with prospect Max Clark and Spencer Torkelson’s impressive start to the 2025 season.

With Evan away with this week, Mark brings in pinch co-host Bobby Scales to help break down a strong week for the Detroit Tigers. The guys recap the team’s series win against the Seattle Mariners and the homestead sweep of the Chicago White Sox. Mark and Bobby analyze the continuation of the team’s 2024 grind culture and highlight the noteworthy contributions from Spencer Torkelson, Riley Greene, and Kerry Carpenter. The guys also talk what they’ve seen from Jackson Jobe in his past two starts and how position player chaos has been working out to start the season.  Later in the show, Mark and Bobby preview the upcoming series against the New York Yankees and the Minnesota Twins. With the Yankees coming to town, the guys also cover the buzz surrounding the torpedo bats and why they may be more of a fad rather than a game changer.

The Detroit Tigers lost all three games to the Los Angeles Dodgers, but there's more to the story. Evan Petzold and Mark Gorosh dive into the team's culture, Spencer Torkelson's resurgence and other key takeaways from the first series of the 2025 season. They also preview the upcoming matchups against the Seattle Mariners and Chicago White Sox, including Jackson Jobe's first MLB start. Tigers radio analyst Bobby Scales — a former MLB player and executive — joins the "Days of Roar" podcast to discuss Ryan Kreidler in center field, Kerry Carpenter's usage against left-handed pitchers, and how Torkelson rediscovered the best version of himself at the plate. With the Tigers on the West Coast, Evan took a trip to Triple-A Toledo to talk with Jason Foley, Jace Jung and Justyn-Henry Malloy.

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Opening Day has arrived! The Detroit Tigers play the Los Angeles Dodgers at 7:10 p.m. Thursday at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, beginning the 2025 season. Evan and Mark discuss the final roster moves (Spencer Torkelson in, Justyn-Henry Malloy out), another outfield injury (Wenceel Pérez), Ryan Kreidler as the primary center fielder and a flurry of predictions in this special "Days of Roar" bonus episode. Stay tuned every Monday for regularly scheduled episodes.

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With Opening Day just three days away, the Detroit Tigers still have tough decisions to make to finalize their 26-man roster before facing the Dodgers in Los Angeles. Three position players — Spencer Torkelson, Justyn-Henry Malloy and Jahmai Jones — are vying for one spot, while relievers Andrew Chafin, Brenan Hanifee and Brant Hurter are battling for a role in the bullpen. The roster battle became more complex after the Tigers signed outfielder Manuel Margot to a one-year contract, helping to cover the absence of center fielder Parker Meadows for at least another four weeks. The starting rotation is also set with five pitchers, and a pitcher making $10 million was sent to the bullpen. After the break, Dodgers beat writer Jack Harris joins the "Days of Roar" podcast to preview the Tigers' opening series against the star-studded Dodgers, discussing Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and how the Dodgers built a model franchise. After talking to Jack, Evan and Mark tackle an intriguing question: Would Gleyber Torres consider moving off second base for this culture-driven Tigers team?

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Producer's note: After recording, the Detroit Tigers optioned Jace Jung to Triple-A Toledo, which means he won't make the Tigers' Opening Day roster. Keep that in mind as you listen to this episode.

With 10 days until Opening Day, the position battles for the Tigers in spring training have heated up to the max. The Tigers have 10 of 13 position players locked in, three of five starting pitchers locked in, and seven of eight relief pitchers locked in. A lot could happen in the final week of camp, but the Opening Day roster is coming into focus with clear frontrunners in those competitions. Still, the Tigers have a lot of questions to answer as the regular season approaches.
Center fielder Parker Meadows has been ruled out for Opening Day with an upper arm nerve issue, so how long will Wenceel Pérez be relied upon as the primary center fielder? Without Jace Jung, is a platoon of Zach McKinstry and Andy Ibáñez good enough at third base? Most notably, should the Tigers have just put Jung on the roster because of his long-term upside on offense?
Other topics include Javier Báez and Spencer Torkelson testing out new positions, Riley Greene in center field, the Spring Breakout prospect game (Bryce Rainer!), and what we saw from Andrew Navigato. Another thing: Did Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris do enough this offseason to prepare the Tigers for success this season? 

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Jason Benetti — the TV voice of the Detroit Tigers and Michigan Sportscaster of the Year — joins the "Days of Roar" podcast to discuss a variety of topics, including his 2025 preview and 2024 reflections, both for the broadcast team and the baseball team. Benetti breaks down his iconic call during the 2024 postseason run: "A city that doesn't care about the odds has a baseball team to match." He also shares insight into the A.J. Hinch effect and what he's looking for out of Tarik Skubal, Riley Greene and Jackson Jobe in 2025. In addition to Benetti, Evan and Mark recap the past week of spring training games, share an injury update on Parker Meadows and evaluate the signing of José Urquidy. Two important questions are addressed: Which player is most crucial to the Tigers' success in 2025? And how good can the starting rotation become, especially if Casey Mize continues his strong performances?

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Read Evan's most recent work here