The splitter from Casey Mize dove towards Anthony Rizzo’s feet as the Cubs slugger swung over it for Mize’s first strikeout at Comerica Park. As Rizzo trudged back to the visitors' dugout, he turned over his shoulder and took a quick glance back at Mize.

“As he started out that first inning, he's done that his whole career, just like that,” manager Ron Gardenhire said.

It was a reminder of how nasty and unique a pitch the Tigers’ top pitching prospect has. It also ended up being the highlight of Mize's second Major League start -- his first at Comerica Park. While the Cubs eventually capitalized on deep counts against Mize and defensive decisions behind him to pull away for a 9-3 Detroit defeat on Monday night, he began the process of building a legacy in his new home park.

• Box score

“I love this park. It’s just a really cool atmosphere,” Mize said. “I was very excited to pitch in this park. It’s just unfortunate it didn’t go the way I wanted to.”

At some point, Mize will have better memories here, with fans in the stands providing real cheers instead of piped-in noise. He still drew a bit of a crowd, as close to a dozen fans stood outside the gated fence beyond the outfield concourse, trying to catch a glimpse of the Tigers’ future. The tables at the restaurant atop the Detroit Athletic Club building beyond center field were filled on a Monday night.

Mize's first inning couldn’t have been scripted much better. After he used his splitter to fan Rizzo, he sent a slider diving off the outside corner to strike out fellow Cubs All-Star Javier Báez and end a clean 15-pitch first inning.

“We executed the game plan really well in the first inning,” Mize said. “The plan was to continue to do that. We had a good plan. I just didn't execute very well from there on out.”

By the time Rizzo came back around, the Cubs had two runs in, Mize was over the 40-pitch mark and the bases were loaded. Mize used a fastball to jam Rizzo into a first-pitch popout behind the plate to escape the trouble.

“He didn't command his fastball as well, for whatever reason it might be, maybe trying to make adjustments with all their hitters,” Gardenhire said.

The Cubs built their second-inning lead on back-to-back two-out RBI singles from David Bote and Nico Hoerner, both off cutters. It’s a pitch Mize worked on between starts, and while he threw some nasty ones like the strikeout on Báez, he struggled to repeat.

“I threw some I was really pleased with, that were really doing what it was designed to do,” Mize said. “And then a couple were some spinners. I think the pitch selection was correct, just the execution was really bad.”

A Jeimer Candelario error helped fuel another jam in the third, but a pair of nice plays from second baseman Jonathan Schoop -- first to notice Báez breaking for home on a double-play grounder, then to range up the middle for the third out -- helped Mize out of it. Once Bote pounced on a hanging slider for a 455-foot home run leading off the fourth inning, the Cubs had a 3-1 lead, and Mize’s pitches were numbered.

Mize did not get another chance at Rizzo, who instead greeted Tyler Alexander with an RBI single before Báez's opposite-field two-run homer put Chicago in command.

Mize finished with four runs (three earned) on five hits and two walks over 3 1/3 innings, with two strikeouts. He drew nine swings and misses, five of them on a fastball averaging 94 mph, but the Cubs hit four balls with an exit velocity of 99 mph or harder.

“I think the biggest learning thing for me is I threw a lot of stressful pitches tonight,” he said. “And it just seemed like the more I was in that situation, the more I was gripping the ball and really tensing up and just really trying to do a lot. I need to actually just settle down in those situations and be calm and actually do the opposite of grip the baseball really hard. In that situation, less is more.”

Mize isn’t the first Tigers pitching prodigy to struggle in his Comerica Park debut. Justin Verlander was outpitched by Scott Baker in his home debut in 2005, allowing five runs on eight hits in six innings. The goal is for Mize to learn from this. He’ll get another test Saturday against a power-packed Twins lineup.

It’s a process, no matter how much Mize wants to speed it up.

“I think there’s definitely that aspect of it,” Mize said. “But I think my approach is to just aim as high as possible, and then allow other people to bring me down and insert that reality to me. But for me, man, I’m trying to aim as high as I can and relentlessly attack greatness. That’s the way I am.”