The Tigers and Yankees faced off again tonight and it was a rather low-drama outing that did nothing to help the Tigers’ season numbers.
Let’s have a look at how it went.
The pitching matchup was Tarik Skubal versus Michael King. In the first Skubal allowed a two-out home run to Gleyber Torres to put the Yankees on the board early. In the bottom half the Tigers went down in order.
The second saw Skubal allow a walk to Everson Pereira, but no Yankees runs scored, and in the home half the Tigers once again went in order.
Skubal had a 1-2-3 of his own in the top of the third, and the Tigers tried to put a little something together in the bottom of the inning. Parker Meadows singled to start things off, then a Carson Kelly single went right into an error. Meadows ended up on third and Kelly on second. The Tigers were not able to take advantage of two in scoring position, however.
Torres walked to start the fourth, but was eliminated by a double play, and the Yankees were unable to get another baserunner on the inning. In the Tigers’ half Matt Vierling got a two-out single but was not brought home.
The fifth saw another fumble for Skubal, as Kyle Higashioka got a solo home run with two outs. A Kelly single was the only Tigers’ baserunner in the bottom of the inning.
The sixth was Skubal’s last inning for the night and his struggles were the most evident of the whole evening. Aaron Judge singled, then advanced to second on a throwing error from Vierling. Torres was hit by a pitch. Giancarlo Stanton then singled to load the bases. A passed ball from Kelly then allowed Judge to score. Final line for Skubal was 6.0 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 9 K, 2 HR on 97 pitches. There was a lot to like about Skubal’s night, just some poor pitches that got carried out and an error that upped the score. In the bottom half of the inning the Tigers went 1-2-3.
Will Vest was out in the seventh and had a 1-2-3 inning of his own, then in the bottom half of the seventh Zach McKinstry got a walk and Meadows singled, but a double play ended the inning and the Tigers were still scoreless.
In the eighth, Torres continued to be dominant for the Yankees with a single off Garrett Hill, but the Yankees couldn’t get him across home plate. For the Tigers, Akil Baddoo got a one-out walk, but a double-play ended the inning once more.
The top of the ninth and Hill gave up a solo home run to Anthony Volpe. Pereira got a walk, but the Yankees would need to settle for one, and as it turns out, they’d be happy for it. Spencer Torkelson started the bottom of the ninth with a walk, then with two outs McKinstry doubled. A Meadows single (his first three-hit game!) scored two. The Tigers could be thankful for those runs as they avoided the shutout, but could not make a comeback.
Final: Yankees 4, Tigers 2