After a frustrating 1-0 extra innings loss in game one of this series, the Detroit Tigers sent their ace to the mound looking to even things up. Tarik Skubal was very good, the Tigers beat up on Bryan Bello to build an early lead despite squandering some chances, and the bullpen was nails.
It was a cold, humid day in ol’ Beantown as the Tigers looked to even the four-game series with their ace on the mound. The conditions, including a breeze blowing in, didn’t auger well for a ton of power, but in Fenway
Park you never know what you’re going to get. Of course, with Tarik Skubal you generally do know what you’re going to get, and he dominated the Red Sox without breaking much of a sweat.
After a quiet night offensively from both teams on Friday, the Tigers got going out of the gate on Saturday afternoon. Kevin McGonigle started the game off with a single, and after Bryan Bello froze Gleyber Torres with a cutter at the top of the zone, Colt Keith singled right through shortstop Andrew Monasterio. A newly patient and disciplined Riley Greene drew a walk to load the bases, and the Tigers were in business.
Bello found his command long enough to carve up Spencer Torkelson with more well located cutters down and away, continuing his bizarre career long futility with the bases loaded, but Kerry Carpenter drew a walk to force in a run. That was all the Tigers would get as Wenceel Pérez grounded out to end the top half of the first.
Tarik Skubal was on it from the start in this one, spinning a 1-2-3 bottom of the first. Jake Rogers and McGonigle hit the ball hard against a still scuffling Bello, but both went for outs. Skubal stormed back out to the mound and struck out the side swinging in the bottom of the second. His fastball command was sharp and the changeup was dancing. Good times.
The third inning was uneventful, but in the top of the fourth, after Torkelson took a called strike three on a dangerous 0-2 cutter right down the middle, Kerry Carpenter stepped in and launched a 1-1 changeup threw a fairly stiff breeze and into the visitor’s bullpen. 2-0 Tigers.
That homer rattled Bello. He walked Wenceel Pérez, and got a 97 mph first pitch sinker down and in and banged it off the Green Monster for a double. Pérez couldn’t score because left field is the size of an average midwestern backyard, but Jake Rogers lifted a fly ball out to Raffaela in center field, and Pérez made a really nice wrap around slide to score just ahead of the tag after a strong throw in. That made it 3-0, and Mr. McGonigle promptly did his thing, lining a sharp single to right to plate Báez for a 4-0 lead.
Skubal, uncertain with all this run support, walked Roman Anthony to start the bottom half, but then punched out Monasterio, Willson Contreras, and Trevor Story in a row to snuff any glimpses of hope for the Red Sox.
Jovani Morán took over for Boston in the fifth. Riley Greene challenged a 3-1 pitch that turned out to be 0.1 inch below the zone—we love an accurate measurement—and walked, but that went nowhere as Torkelson continues to be locked up and passive at the plate, getting called out on strikes yet again. Swing the bat, Spencer.
Skubal finally got himself into some trouble in the bottom half. Wilyer Abreu slapped a single up the middle and Rafaela doubled to center field. Chris Fetter came out for a chat as Skubal looked like he was feeling for his timing, but he promptly walked Caleb Durbin to load the bases. Fortunately, he escaped relatively unscatheed, as Connor Wong bounced to Torres near second base for a double play. Abreu scored, but Isiah Kiner-Falefa flew out to end the inning. 4-1 Tigers.
Jake Rogers doubled to center in the sixth with two outs, but McGonigle grounded out. Meanwhile, Skubal was still a little shaky at this point. His changeup was outstanding, but some of the fastballs weren’t crisp, and of course we’re not in midsummer Skubal territory where the velocity starts creeping up to 99-100 mph more often. Still, he was on the ball whenever he needed to be.
Anthony and Monasterio started the bottom of the sixth with solid singles, and once again Skubal had to lock in. He did so, freezing Contreras with a great changeup that was actually below the zone. Contreras was too disgusted by the filth to challenge and accepted his fate. A pair of whiffs at changeups sent Story to the same fate as Skubal’s 10th victim of the day, and Abreu grounded out to Torres to squander a good scoring opportunity. We like this. 4-1 Tigers.
Colt Keith went 1 for 3 with a single in this one as the DH, but with one out in the top of the seventh, Dillon Dingler pinch-hit for him against the lefty Morán. He flew out to center and Greene struck out to end the inning as Morán had really gentled the Tigers.
Skubal’s day was done with 6.0 IP, ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 10 K. Still a pretty spectacular outing, with a whopping 19 whiffs on 43 swings, but his velocity was still down a bit even by spring levels, averaging 95.9 with the fourseamer. Still, that was his first double digit strikeout game of the season, and his ERA stands at 2.08.
Tyler Holton took over in the bottom of the seventh. He racked up quick outs on meager contact from Rafaela and Wong, with a strikeout of Durbin sandwiched between them.
Right-hander Greg Weissert took over in the eighth for the BoSox, while I begged Spencer Torkelson to swing the frigging bat for crying out loud. He did so, tapping a little ground out off the end of the bat. Progress! Carpenter spanked an opposite field single, but grounders from Pérez and Báez ended the inning.
Holton cruised through the bottom of the eighth, punching out Anthony swinging over a sinker below the zone, and we were on to the top of the ninth.
Zack Kelly took over for Boston, getting Rogers on a ground out to start the frame. McGonigle smoked a line drive right to Monasterio for the second out. Torres dumped a little excuse me swing single into right field, but Dingler flew out to right field.
So, it was Kenley Jansen time. After watching him pump 95-97 mph quite a bit in Detroit, the Tigers’ closer was back down to 93 mph in this weather, but he was reasonably sharp anyway. Contreras reached for a cut fastball away off the plate and lined a single to left, but Story bounced a chopper to Báez who fired to Torres for the first out. The Tigers’ second baseman decided not to try and turn the double play, looking like he didn’t immediately get a perfect grip and choosing discretion over heroics. Abreu sliced a liner to Greene in left, and Jansen mixed in the slider to Rafaela, getting him to pop out to Torkelson on a cutter up to end this one and collect save number 481 in his storied career.
Solid win. Skubal handled business and owned the Red Sox most of the game without really extending himself. The Tigers swung the bats pretty well apart from Torkelson, who looks completely locked up mentally right now. He’ll probably play against Garrett Crochet on Sunday, but he really looks like he could use a couple of games off to try and hit the reset button. Hopefully Colt Keith is keeping up his extra work at first base.
