Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal had to wait more than 18 hours for his 15th start of the 2025 season, with his scheduled start delayed from Wednesday, June 18, to Thursday, June 19, due to severe thunderstorms.
And then Skubal had to wait an extra 40 minutes for a brief rain delay before Game 1 of Thursday’s doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Finally, Skubal took the mound.
The 28-year-old could’ve been more efficient, but he did his part in Thursday’s 9-2 win over the Pirates. He allowed two runs on six hits and three walks with six strikeouts across 5⅔ innings, throwing 103 pitches.
The Tigers (48-27) supported Skubal with seven runs in the first four innings. The offense produced four sacrifice flies, one shy of the MLB record set by the Seattle Mariners in 1988 and 2008 and the Colorado Rockies in 2006.
The four sacrifice flies: Riley Greene for a 1-0 lead in the first inning, Gleyber Torres for a 2-0 lead in the second inning, Spencer Torkelson for a 7-0 lead in the fourth inning, and Colt Keith for a 9-1 lead in the fifth inning.
It marked the second time in 70 years that the Tigers had four sacrifice flies, with the other game occurring June 10, 1985. Back then, Lou Whitaker, Alan Trammell, Lance Parrish and Dave Bergman were responsible.
As for Skubal, he was forced to throw in the rain for his 24-pitch first inning.
In the first, Skubal walked back-to-back batters for the first time since Aug. 18, 2024. He loaded the bases with one out, but he stranded all three runners with Ke’Bryan Hayes’ three-pitch strikeout and Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s one-pitch flyout.
The Pirates scored off Skubal in the fifth and sixth innings, thanks to Andrew McCutchen’s RBI groundout and Tommy Pham’s sacrifice fly. Both innings featured two hits against Skubal.
Skubal issued his third walk in the sixth.
The reigning American League Cy Young winner generated 17 whiffs on 55 swings for a 30.9% whiff rate, but his sinker averaged just 96.1 mph — down 1.4 mph from his season norm. It’s worth noting, his sinker velocity was also down 1.2 mph in his last start.
Skubal surpassed 100 pitches for the first time this season.
He has a 2.06 ERA in 15 starts.
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Andrew Heaney attacked
The Pirates could’ve started superstar right-hander Paul Skenes in Game 1 (instead of Game 2) to clash with Skubal, but Pirates manager Don Kelly opted for left-hander Andrew Heaney, who was Wednesday’s scheduled starter.
The Tigers took advantage of Kelly’s decision.
Heaney allowed seven runs on eight hits and three walks with two strikeouts across four innings, throwing 85 pitches. He was attacked from the onset, with back-to-back hits from Torres (single) and Jahmai Jones (double).
After that, Greene delivered the first sacrifice fly for a 1-0 advantage in the first inning.
The big hit occurred in the second inning, when Greene cleared the loaded bases with a double for a 5-0 lead. The ball bounced past the diving center fielder and rolled toward the warning track, allowing all three runners to score easily.
The Tigers scored their final two runs off right-handed reliever Chase Shugart in the fifth inning, with a solo home run from Zach McKinstry and a sacrifice fly from Keith.
It was McKinstry’s 21st extra-base hit in 67 games.
Carlos Hernandez’s first game
The Tigers recently claimed right-handed reliever Carlos Hernández off waivers from the Philadelphia Phillies. The 28-year-old had a 5.26 ERA in 25 games with the Phillies, but he looked like a completely different pitcher in his first game with the Tigers.
He lowered his ERA to 5.00.
Hernández retired all four batters, recording the final out in the sixth inning and three outs in the seventh inning. He registered two swinging strikeouts: Andrew McCutchen (89.3 mph splitter) and Joey Bart (87.9 mph slider).
More importantly, Hernández threw 11 of 13 pitches for strikes — an 84.6% strike rate.
He had a 66.6% strike rate with the Phillies.
His four-seam fastball averaged 97.9 mph in his first appearance with the Tigers, maxing out at 99.3 mph.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tarik Skubal gets plenty of run support in Detroit Tigers’ 9-2 win over Pittsburgh Pirates
Reporting by Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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