Inside the Article:
Despite a strong start from pitcher Tarik Skubal, the Detroit Tigers snatched defeat from the jaws of victory this afternoon in their series finale against the Toronto Blue Jays at Comerica Park. They’ll now have some time off, as the Major League Baseball All-Star break is next on the schedule.
The Blue Jays took the series from the Deroit Tigers thanks to their extra-innings win
The Tigers were the first to cross home plate this afternoon thanks to an RBI single from Miguel Cabrera, which was followed up by the 6th home run of the season from Riley Greene. Today also marked Greene’s 2nd back in action since a stress fracture in his fibula landed him on the Injured List.
Additionally, Skubal pitched well in his second outing of the year with five strikeouts and allowing only a pair of singles to Toronto’s Whit Merrifield.
But despite trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the 9th inning, the Blue Jays tied things up thanks to a two-run home run from Danny Jansen off of Alex Lange.
They would then secure the win after an RBI double from Nathan Lukes; Detroit was unable to respond in the bottom of the 10th. The Jays emerged with the series win thanks to the 4-3 triumph.
Tarik Skubal says that his body has responded well
For Skubal, he feels good about the way that his last two starts have gone since coming back from the Injured List.
“Kind of being slowly brought back instead of ‘Hey go play’ is important,” he said. “In terms of my rehab, you can’t replicate Big League games unless you’re pitching in Big League games. So no matter how many pitches I threw in the minors, it’s different…..it’s been good. My body has responded well.”
Rather than worrying about the stress of facing a talented lineup like the Blue Jays, manager A.J. Hinch said that Skubal handled himself well and said that his recent two starts have been “virtually perfect”.
“Facing this lineup is immediate stress,” Hinch said. “I know they didn’t get hits yesterday and we had them down for most of the game today, but they’re pretty potent and he had to change up his pitch mix. His changeup and velocity were good, he’s continuing to climb. He feels good and looks good, and it was exactly what we wanted before the Break with two back-to-back starts on five days rest. He’s been virtually perfect, and that’s ag great sign heading into the four-day break. He looked incredible.”
Key Points
- The Tigers gave up their lead in the 9th inning and lost in extra innings to Toronto
- Tarik Skubal pitched well in his second start of 2023
- A.J. Hinch said that Skubal’s last two starts have been “virtually perfect”
Bottom Line
The Tigers will be regrouping with some rest over the upcoming MLB All-Star break, but the good news is that Skubal looks more and more like his old self on the mound.
The Tigers will get back at it on Friday, July 14 when they pay a visit to the Seattle Mariners for a three-game series.
