Detroit Tigers snap six-game losing streak with 2-1 win vs. Rangers in Tarik Skubal gem

Yahoo

2 days ago

ARLINGTON, TX — Left-hander Tarik Skubal put the Detroit Tigers in a position to win, but when he was pulled from the game at 105 pitches with two outs and runners on the corners in the seventh inning, the Texas Rangers took advantage.
The Rangers immediately tied the game.
But the Tigers clawed back to snap a season-long six-game losing streak.
The Tigers beat the Rangers, 2-1, on Sunday, July 20, in the finale of the three-game series at Globe Life Field, as Matt Vierling delivered the go-ahead hit in the eighth inning.
It marked the Tigers' first win since July 8, and made them, at 60-40, the first MLB team to 60 wins.
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In the seventh inning, Skubal and Johan Heim battled for eight pitches with runners on the corners, following Adolis García's double and Kyle Higashioka's single. On the eighth pitch, Skubal ripped a changeup below the strike zone for a swinging strikeout.
The eight-pitch battle brought Skubal's pitch count to 105.
And it ended his 20th start.
The Tigers turned to left-handed reliever Tyler Holton, but on his fourth pitch, he threw a changeup for a wild pitch that got away from catcher Dillon Dingler and rolled toward the Tigers' dugout, allowing García to score easily
The wild pitch tied the game, 1-1.
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All Skubal could do was watch from the dugout.
In the following inning, back-to-back singles from Gleyber Torres and Riley Greene set the table, but back-to-back outs from Spencer Torkelson and Wenceel Pérez threatened the momentum against right-handed reliever Chris Martin.
But Vierling saved the day for the Tigers, knocking a two-out RBI single on a full-count fastball into center field for a 2-1 lead.
To earn the win, Holton recorded the first two outs in the eighth inning before right-handed reliever Will Vest replaced him in search of a four-out save.
Vest struck out Wyatt Langford on three consecutive fastballs — 97 mph, 97 mph, 97.8 mph — for the third out in the eighth, but still, the Rangers had Corey Seager, Marcus Semien and García due up in the ninth inning.
Those three batters were retired quickly, ending the game: Seager grounded out to shortstop, Semien flew out to right field, and García struck out swinging.
Vest has 16 saves in 20 chances.
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Tarik Skubal vs. Corey Seager
For the Rangers, Seager produced two hits in three plate appearances against Skubal — bringing his career stats to a .667 batting average in 12 matchups with Skubal.
Everyone else?
The Rangers not named Seager finished 2-for-21 with 11 strikeouts against Skubal, with both hits occurring in the seventh inning to help chase Skubal.
The 28-year-old allowed one run on four hits and zero walks with 11 strikeouts across 6⅔ innings, throwing 71.4% of his 105 pitches for strikes and generating a 33.9% whiff rate.
Skubal raised his arms in the air to celebrate when Seager lined out in the sixth inning, following a double in the first inning and a single in the fourth inning.
After Seager's double, Skubal struck out seven of eight batters in the first, second and third innings — beginning with back-to-back strikeouts of Semien and García to strand Seager in scoring position.
Those seven strikeouts: Semien (96.6 mph sinker), García (97 mph fastball), Higashioka (96.3 mph fastball), Cody Freeman (86.9 mph changeup), Justin Foscue (98.3 mph fastball), Ezequiel Duran (96.8 mph fastball), Langford (86.3 mph changeup).
Skubal has a 2.19 ERA in 20 starts.
Scoring first
The Tigers grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second inning.
Three singles in a row for the Tigers against left-hander Jacob Latz produced the run, thanks to Pérez, Dingler and Zach McKinstry.
Latz replaced right-hander Nathan Eovaldi, who was scratched from Sunday's start due to back tightness. He limited the Tigers to one run over five innings.
The Tigers had other opportunities to score in the early innings, but Riley Greene grounded into a pair of double plays. It happened in the third after a Torres walk, then again in the fifth after a Torres single.
Torres finished 3-for-3 with one walk in four trips to the plate.
Contact Evan Petzold at [e-mail] or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers snap losing streak, squeak by Texas Rangers, 2-1