Preventing the long ball had been an issue in back-to-back losses for the Tigers entering Sunday.
That issue came back to haunt Detroit in the series finale against the Royals, as starter Tarik Skubal could not limit the damage in the early stages of his outing during the Tigers’ 6-1 loss at Kauffman Stadium.
Skubal allowed two home runs — a three-run shot to Salvador Perez and one of the solo variety to Jorge Soler in the next at-bat — before he was able to record an out in the game.
Following the homer to Soler, Skubal retired 15 of the next 16 batters he faced. The only other hit he allowed was a second round-tripper from Soler, in the third inning.
Skubal’s fastball effectiveness posed a problem for the Tigers’ lefty. Each of the three home runs he surrendered came on his fastball, and Skubal had just one swing and miss on the 25 heaters he offered Royals hitters.
Skubal is 1-3 with a 4.12 ERA in his career against Kansas City. The Tigers pushed across just one total run in the three losing efforts.
The struggles for the Tigers’ bats also continued during Skubal’s outing. Royals starter Daniel Lynch held Detroit’s bats scoreless through his eight-inning performance.