LAKELAND, Fla. — The Detroit Tigers beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 4-2, on Monday at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium, improving to 6-9 (with two ties) in Grapefruit League play.
What happened
Making his fourth and final spring training start, Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal put on a spectacular show. He registered eight strikeouts — with zero walks — in five scoreless innings.
JEFF SEIDEL:AJ Hinch is already working wonders with the Tigers. His players list the reasons
The 25-year-old finished camp with a 1.32 ERA, three walks and 21 strikeouts in 13⅔ innings. He will start Sunday in the series finale against the Chicago White Sox, following Eduardo Rodriguez and Casey Mize.
“He was really sharp,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said. “The changeup usage, the breaking ball usage, if he pitches up in the zone like that and has everything working against a really good right-handed lineup, it’s a good sign.”
The Tigers scored their first run off Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman in the fourth inning. Akil Baddoo collected the team’s first hit with an up-the-middle single (104.9 mph exit velocity), then stole second base.
Javier Baez scored Baddoo with a two-strike single to right field.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, 18-year-old Cuban outfielder Roberto Campos — in his first MLB spring training plate appearance — launched an opposite-field two-run home run off Blue Jays left-handed reliever Matt Gage.
Campos put the Tigers ahead 4-2.
“It is amazing,” Campos said, with Tigers bilingual media coordinator Carlos Guillen interpreting. “You have no idea. Not even myself, I have no words to describe this thing.”
The Tigers signed Campos for a $2.85 million bonus as an international free agent in July 2019.
“I want the fans to expect the best from me,” Campos said. “I always give the best of me. I’ve been working for this since last year, and I’ve been preparing myself for moments like this, opportunities like this. I’m working hard all the time to do my best so the fans can have some of that back of what the team has invested in me.”
Starting out
Skubal looked ready for the regular season to begin, as he mowed down the Blue Jays’ power-hitting lineup, which featured regulars like George Springer, Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Teoscar Hernandez.
HEY, KID!Spencer Torkelson’s life-changing day with Tigers: ‘All three of us were crying’
He fared especially well against Springer, who struck out three times: in the first inning (looking, 95.7 mph sinker), third inning (swinging, 84.3 mph changeup) and fifth inning (swinging, 95.2 mph four-seam fastball).
“I felt like my stuff was coming out good,” Skubal said. “Command was OK today. I leaked some (pitches) back over the middle of the plate that can’t be leaked over the middle of the plate. But I’ll take it.”
To conclude the first inning, Skubal struck out Hernandez on three pitches. He showed him two fastballs, which Hernandez fouled, before sending him down swinging with a 77.7 mph curveball.
Skubal struck out Springer, Bichette (swinging, 95.4 mph fastball) and Hernandez (84.3 mph changeup) in the third inning, working around a double from Guerrero on a two-strike 96 mph sinker.
“These guys want to hit fastballs, and they’re aggressive with fastballs in any count,” Skubal said. “I think the changeup is a good equalizer pitch, especially against this lineup because they’re really good at hitting fastballs, so you can’t just give it to them. … The changeup is a good pitch for me. It makes my fastball play up.”
After pitching a perfect fourth inning, Skubal gave up a leadoff double to Santiago Espinal to open the fifth. But he successfully retired Cavan Biggio, Springer and Bichette in order to finish his outing.
For Skubal’s 74 pitches, he used 34 four-seam fastball (46%), 16 changeups (22%), 12 sliders (16%), seven sinkers (9%) and five curveballs (7%). He racked up seven swings and misses: four four-seamers, two changeups and one curveball. He shined with 14 called strikes: six four-seamers, two changeups, four sliders and two sinkers.
His fastball averaged 94.3 mph.
“I really like where my stuff is at,” Skubal said.
At the plate
Utility player Willi Castro upped the Tigers’ lead to 2-0 against Gausman with a solo home run to left-center in the sixth. The ball traveled 378 feet with a 104.7 mph exit velocity.
Before the home run, Castro entered the game and replaced Baddoo as the center fielder. He singled off Gage in the eighth to set up Campos’ two-run shot and finished 2-for-2 with one RBI.
“That was a great thing to see,” Hinch said of Castro’s defense. “Some people say center field is the easiest position to play. It’s obviously hard in Comerica (Park). But his jumps were good. I think we can expand Willi’s defensive versatility. We flirted with it last year. I think we’re fully committed to it this year. It’s the best way he can contribute to this team.”
Gausman, who signed a five-year, $110 million contract this offseason, gave up two runs on three hits with three strikeouts in six innings.
The Tigers finished with four runs on six hits and one walk.
On the mound
After Skubal, Tigers relievers Joe Jimenez, Gregory Soto, Alex Lange and Drew Hutchison pitched.
Both Jimenez and Soto needed eight pitches to complete their scoreless innings, but Lange threw 20 pitches (10 strikes) and recorded two outs in the eighth inning. He allowed two runs, a sacrifice fly from Gosuke Katoh and an RBI double from Rainer Nunez.
“This is all tuneups for the end of spring,” Hinch said. “Lange, the first walk was probably the most frustrating part of the day for him, but I just want to get out of here without any more (injury) issues.”
Hutchison cleaned up the mess by striking out Nathan Lukes for the third out. He returned for the ninth, after Campos’ two-run homer, and held the Blue Jays scoreless.
Three stars
1. Skubal, 2. Campos, 3. Baez.
Up next
Tuesday vs. New York Yankees in Tampa.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold. Read more on the Detroit Tigers and sign up for our Tigers newsletter.