The Detroit Tigers and the Kansas City Royals met this afternoon at Comerica Park for the rubber match in a competitive weekend series that coincided the 2024 NFL Draft taking place nearby in the city. The draft concluded its three days of festivities yesterday, clearing the stage for Detroit’s greatest baseball star to put on an immaculate Sunday matinee performance with the undivided attention of his dearest fans in hand.
If you happened to miss today’s Must-See TS, read on. Tarik Skubal shoved, Detroit’s offense answered the call against Michael Wacha, and the bullpen slammed the door on the Royals. The Tigers win their third consecutive series, this one by a final score of 4-1.
“It’s deja vu all over again.” — Yogi Berra
The top of the first inning felt awfully similar to yesterday’s game, as did the ninth inning. All’s well that ends well, huh?
Let’s start at the top of the first inning. Maikel Franco was once again swinging early in the at-bat, and he chopped one past Matt Vierling that very well could have been scored an error to open the game. Instead, Franco was credited with a double, and scored the sole earned run allowed by Tarik Skubal on the day as Bobby Witt Jr. drove him in. Skubal settled in and got the next three Royals hitters, including Salvador Perez, out on weak contact.
Unlike yesterday, it did not take Detroit six innings to respond offensively. With one out in the bottom of the first inning, Mark Canha doubled to right field, setting up Wenceel Pérez’s first career home run:
Pérez’s first-inning home run proved to be the difference in today’s action. There’s no sport like baseball, in which you can drive in the game-winning run in the first inning of the game. Jake Rogers, however, did give the Tigers an extra insurance run, slamming his second home run of the season, this time an oppo shot, and capping off a successful weekend for him at the plate.
The déjà vu from Saturday continued in the ninth inning, as Jason Foley entered to face the Royals with a three-run lead in hand. Just like yesterday, Jason Foley immediately allowed two baserunners, walking Tigers killer Sal Perez on seven pitches and once again giving up a hard single to Michael Massey. Unlike yesterday, they weren’t just seeing eye singles, and Foley looked a little gassed with his velo down in the 95-96 mph band.
Jason Foley on, two baserunners and nobody out, three-run lead. These recaps write themselves.
Unlike Saturday night, Foley proceeded to put on a show with two runners on, much like Tarik Skubal did in the seventh inning today (more on that in a minute). Foley got a groundout which advanced the baserunners out of Vinnie Pasquantino for the first out of the inning. He got M.J. Melendez to flail three times for his first strikeout and the second out of the inning. Dialing up 98 mph again, he baffled Dairon Blanco for the third out of the inning and his ninth save in nine opportunities this March/April. Foley now sits at a 1.35 ERA; Detroit sits at 16-12, just a half-game back of Kansas City (but also trailing the red-hot Cleveland Guardians).
Must-See TS: Skubal Shoves Again
Today’s run support following the first-inning run was much appreciated by Tarik Skubal, who proceeded to annihilate a Royals lineup that has been hot throughout April. Skubal allowed just one base runner over the next seventeen outrs, punching out six along the way. Furthermore, Skubal looked better as the start progressed, inducing ugly whiffs, more punch-outs, and higher velocities as the night went on (must-see TS is this generation’s must-see JV, Justin Verlander fans).
That was true, at least, up until the end of his seventh inning of work; Skubal allowed a walk and a single with two outs in the seventh inning, but got a fly-out to right field to strand both runners. Skubal was jacked to get his final out after bringing the tying runner to the plate. If you want to see why he was jacked about this outing, look no further:
Perhaps he’ll complete a few games this summer? In the meantime, Tarik Skubal finishes March/April with a 1.72 ERA and 41 strikeouts across five starts and 36.1 innings. Skubal is on pace to finish the season with 246 strikeouts and 218 innings pitched across 30 starts. I hope you drafted him in your fantasy leagues!
Per DraftKings Sportsbook, Tarik Skubal is the current favorite to win the American League Cy Young award following his final April start. Skubal sits at +400 odds, narrowly ahead of Corbin Burnes at +450 and Pablo Lopez at +600. If Skubal ever takes home that hardware, he will join Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, and Denny McLain (twice) as the fourth Cy Young winner in Detroit Tigers history. For now, the road to the All-Star Game forges ahead, as Skubal is slated to pitch against the Yankees in the Bronx next weekend.
The Tigers will be back in action tomorrow evening at 6:40 PM, as the St. Louis Cardinals roll into town. Steven Matz and Kenta Maeda will square off in a battle between two pitchers with >5 ERAs.