These guys again? Anyone else feel like this is 100 games in a row battling it out against the Rangers?
Today we saw Tarik Skubal take on Dane Dunning (side note, but doesn’t Dane Dunning sound like the name of someone who invents a theory? The Dane Dunning Theory of Relative Pitch Physics or something…)
The game started out a bit tough for Skubal as Marcus Semien reached on pitching error in the first at-bat. The Corey Seager singled, followed by a Wyatt Langford walk. An Adolis Garcia sac fly scored Semien to get the Rangers on the board first. Two outs followed, but it was a rough first for Skubal. Riley Greene got a leadoff walk to start the bottom of the inning, but a strikeout and double play ended the inning.
Evan Carter was hit by a pitch to start the second, but a double play eliminated the baserunner and the Rangers were unable to get another. Kerry Carpenter hit a leadoff home run to start the bottom of the inning and tied the game up 1-1. Colt Keith got a one-out single, but two outs followed.
The Rangers went down in order in the top of the third. Mark Canha and Spencer Torkelson got back-to-back two-out walks, but the Tigers were unable to capitalize on it, and that would come back to bite time in short order.
The fourth went 1-2-3 for both sides. The fifth went 1-2-3 again for the Rangers, and in the bottom half the Tigers needed to settle for a two-out walk to Riley Greene and no runs.
Marcus Semien reached on an error from Colt Keith, then a Corey Seager single followed. Adolis Garcia doubled (it was briefly reviewed as it was thhiiiissssclose to being a home run), but the double scored Semien to give the Rangers the lead. A Jonah Heim single to center scored Seager and Garcia. Spencer Torkelson hit a leadoff double in the bottom half of the inning. With two outs, Colt Keith reached on what should have been an easy out at first and turned into an E6 error that scored Torkelson and put the Tigers back in the conversation. The inning ended on the next out, but suddenly it was a two-run game instead of three.
Leody Tavares got a one-out single in the seventh, and that was it for Tarik Skubal, ending the afternoon with 6.1 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K on 86 pitches. Will Vest came out of the pen and got a double play to end the inning. In the bottom half Parker Meadows hit a lovely solo home run to get the Tigers even closer to a tie game. Riley Greene singled, and it should have been an out probably, but the ball just went right over the first baseman. The Tigers had to settle for the one additional run, but it was a good one.
The Rangers went down in order in the top of the eighth. Matt Vierling got a one-out single in the bottom half. Colt Keith then grounded out to advance Vierling to second. A Javier Baez single scored Vierling to tie the game 4-4. Parker Meadows walked on a full count (probably SHOULD have been strike 3, but I’m not complaining, are you?). The Tigers weren’t able to get the go-ahead run, but it was a pretty solid eighth.
Shelby Miller was out of the pen hoping to keep the Rangers from breaking the tie in the ninth. Some nasty weather was starting to loom, and storm clouds were brewing on the field as well. Ezequiel Duran got a one-out single, then Evan Carter reached on an error from Torkelson, then a Davis Wendzel single scored Duran to give the Rangers a one-run lead. A double play ended the inning, but the Tigers would need to fight back again in the bottom half.
The rain was pouring on and off in the bottom of the ninth. Canha drew a one-out walk and Kirby Yates was clearly annoyed about the rain at this point. Wenceel Perez came in as a pinch-runner. And the Tigers could not capitalize on the baserunner as the Rangers came away with the win at the end of nine.
Final: Rangers 5, Tigers 4