Is Detroit Tigers’ Tarik Skubal window an ‘illusion’ with Scott Harris?
On “Days of Roar,” Evan Petzold and Scott Bentley discuss what Scott Harris said about the Detroit Tigers’ timeline to win with ace Tarik Skubal.
- The Detroit Tigers bet the Kansas City Royals, 4-2, for their fifth straight victory.
- Jake Rogers drove in a pair of runs while going 2-for-3 for the Tigers.
- Spencer Torkelson and Andy Ibáñez hit solo homers for the Tigers, as well.
The “Jake Rogers Lookalike Contest” took place before the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals squared off Saturday, Aug. 23, at Comerica Park.
The winner secured an autographed jersey.
After the contest, the real Rogers led the Tigers to a 4-2 win against the Royals on Saturday in the second of three games in the series. Not only did the 30-year-old catcher drive in two runs on two hits, but he also guided the pitching staff that limited the Royals to two runs.
The Tigers (78-53) have won five games in a row — and nine of their past 10.
Since July 27, the Tigers have an 18-7 record, following a 1-13 stretch. With their latest victory, the Tigers extended their lead in the American League Central to 11½ games over the Royals.
Rogers hit out of the nine spot in the Tigers’ lineup.
In the third inning, Rogers put the Tigers ahead, 1-0, with an RBI double. He then extended the Tigers’ lead to 3-1 with an RBI single in the fifth inning.
Both hits came off right-hander Michael Wacha.
Between Rogers’ hits, The Tigers took a 2-1 advantage on a solo home run from Spencer Torkelson in the fourth inning. He crushed Wacha’s middle-middle cutter for a 408-foot home run — his 27th homer in 125 games.
The Tigers added an insurance run for a 4-2 margin in the bottom of the eighth inning, when pinch-hitter Andy Ibáñez replaced Colt Keith for a favorable opportunity against left-handed reliever Sam Long.
Once again, the pinch-hit decision paid off.
Ibáñez hit a solo home run.
Another big moment for the Tigers occurred the top of the eighth, as right-handed reliever Will Vest entered with a runner on third base and two outs.
At the time, the Tigers had a one-run lead.
Vest struck out Maikel Garcia swinging to strand the runner.
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Chris Paddack survives
Right-hander Chris Paddack made his fifth start since the Tigers acquired him from the Minnesota Twins before the July 31 trade deadline. The 29-year-old has a 5.13 ERA in those five starts.
Facing the Royals, Paddack allowed one run on five hits and one walk with one strikeout across five innings. He threw just 62 pitches, with the Tigers removing him before he could clash with superstar Bobby Witt Jr. for a third time.
The Royals scored their lone run off Paddack in the fourth inning, as a result of Witt hitting a single, advancing to second base on a wild pitch and scoring on Vinnie Pasquantino’s double.
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It tied the game, 1-1.
Paddack generated one whiff on 25 swings for a 4% whiff rate, using a cutter to get the whiff. The Royals had an average exit velocity of 89.1 mph on 17 balls in play. He didn’t miss bats, and he didn’t induce weak contact, but he weathered the Royals.
He owns a 4.98 ERA in 26 starts.
Bobby Witt Jr. strikes
The Tigers replaced Paddack with right-handed reliever Troy Melton in the sixth inning, avoiding a Paddack-Witt matchup for a third time.
Witt didn’t care.
He torched the Tigers anyway.
The two-time All-Star shortstop launched a solo home run to left field off Melton’s first-pitch cutter, cutting the Tigers’ lead to 3-2. It marked Witt’s 19th homer in 128 games. The 25-year-old is one homer away from reaching the 20-homer mark for the fourth time in his four-year MLB career.
Before Witt’s swing, Melton hadn’t allowed a run since Aug. 8 against the Los Angeles Angels. Before then, he hadn’t given up a run since July 23 against the Pittsburgh Pirates in his MLB debut.
Melton departed in the seventh inning with two runners on and one out, replaced by left-handed reliever Tyler Holton. Two pitches in, Holton recorded an inning-ending double play to escape the jam — preserving the Tigers’ one-run lead.
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