The News’ Tony Paul gives his quick takes on the Tigers’ 4-2 loss to the Twins on Tuesday:
One thing I loved
This has proven a surprisingly challenging ask early in 2026. As Ben Verlander wrote on X Tuesday night, the 4-7 Tigers are, indeed, a “tough watch right now.” You can blame the offense, which has stranded at least eight runners on base in more than half the games this season. (They left 12 men on base, and struck out 14 times.)
So, at least for tonight, we pivot a bit: On this night, kudos to the Twins’ game-day staff.
They hit a home run during their between-innings, celebrity-lookalike segment at Target Field on Tuesday night, pointing out something that had never occurred to me: Yes, Tigers radio play-by-play man Dan Dickerson does look a lot like former (again, at least for now) football coach Pete Carroll.
Dickerson sure seemed ready and eager for his close-up, so we’re guessing he’s heard this before.
One thing I didn’t
You don’t see many clunkers like that from Tarik Skubal, the two-time Cy Young winner.
The Tigers’ ace failed to get through five innings for just the fourth time since the start of the 2024 season, before he won the first of his back-to-back Cy Young awards. He wasn’t overly sharp in any facet. For just the second time in his major-league career, he allowed at least eight hits and two walks.
After starting the season without walking any of the first 65 batters he faced, he allowed back-to-back walks in a disastrous, four-run fourth inning, an inning that even saw him commit a pitch-clock violation for just the third time, and first since 2024.
Must be something about Target Field, where he’s now 0-3 in nine starts with a 5.01 ERA, his worst ERA in any ballpark where he’s made at least four starts.
Three stars
Rob Manfred — Have I mentioned, I love ABS?
Tyler Holton
Taj Bradley
Player of the game
(Season total in parentheses)
Kevin McGonigle (3)
Next Tigers game
Game 12: Tigers at Twins, 7:40 Wednesday, DSN, 97.1
ICYMI: Yesterday’s Tigers recap
tpaul@detroitnews.com
@tonypaul1984
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit Tigers, Game 11: One thing I loved, one thing I didn’t
Reporting by Tony Paul, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
