CLEVELAND — Tarik Skubal pitched seven innings while continuing to be mentioned in trade rumours and Justyn-Henry Malloy hit a two-run homer, leading the Detroit Tigers to an 8-2 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Monday night.
Skubal (11-3) gave up a career-high 10 hits but just one run as the All-Star worked out of several early jams. He’s the first Detroit pitcher to allow 10 or more hits and one run or less since Nate Robertson in 2008.
“That’s a good team,” Skubal said. “They’ve got 59 wins for a reason. They don’t strike out a lot and they put the ball in play, make things happen and get guys into scoring position. It was my job to try to get them to hit it at guys at times, and I felt like I did a good job of that.”
The Tigers improved to an MLB-best 12-5 in July.
Their surge has coincided with Skubal — and starter Jack Flaherty — being linked to potential trades with contenders as the July 30 trade deadline nears.
“This is team baseball,” Skubal said. “We’re doing it all, playing defence, getting timely offence, and we’re pitching well. It speaks to the guys in this clubhouse.”
Skubal was asked if the rise could be sending a message to Detroit’s front office.
“I don’t know if we have any say in kind of what they’re doing,” he said. “We’re just trying to focus on winning today’s game and then tomorrow’s game. That’s all I really got to say about that.”
Malloy homered in the first inning off Carlos Carrasco (3-8) as the Tigers beat the AL-Central leaders for the fourth time in five games.
Cleveland has dropped three straight and is just 2-7 since July 10. The teams play five more times in the next eight days.
The Guardians have been scuffling on offense and couldn’t come up with the key hit against Skubal. Steven Kwan, the majors’ leading hitter, popped up with the bases loaded in the second and struck out with two on in the fourth.
Over the weekend, the Guardians went a combined 3 for 55 in losing two straight to the San Diego Padres.
“I felt like we had two guys on every inning,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “We had a handful of these games over the last few weeks where I feel like we’re doing everything right and then just not quite getting the big hit to cash ’em in.”
Detroit took a 4-0 lead in the second, helped by two mistakes in center field by Guardians rookie Angel Martinez.
With a runner at first and two outs, Tigers catcher Jake Rogers hit a sinking liner that Martínez narrowly missed with a dive. The ball got behind him, allowing Wenceel Pérez to score easily from first, and when Martínez slipped trying to retrieve it, Rogers hustled all the way around, scoring with a headfirst dive before sprawling in the dirt.
“That was awesome and for him to be safe was even better, and then the star fish on the plate, Skubal joked. “I told the trainers he needed an oxygen mask.”
The Tigers were up 2-0 after just three batters.
Matt Vierling led off by hitting a double off the left-field wall. One out later, Malloy hit a sinker from Carrasco into the bleachers for his seventh homer — and fifth in 15 games. He has 12 RBIs in the span.
SECOND TO NONE
For the third straight day, second baseman Travis Bazzana, drafted No. 1 overall last week by the Guardians, did fielding drills before the game.
Bazzana, who received an $8.95 million signing bonus, will soon report to Cleveland’s Single-A Lake County affiliate.
Manager Stephen Vogt has been very impressed with the 21-year-old.
“Nice kid,” Vogt said. “Very, very well spoken. He’s motivated.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Guardians: LHP Matthew Boyd’s solid outing (four innings, five strikeouts) at Double-A Akron didn’t accelerate his return from Tommy John surgery. The hope is that Boyd can join the rotation in August. “We obviously are excited,” Vogt said. “He’s with us and want him to pitch for us, but what’s most important is that he comes out of his rehab healthy and ready to go.”
UP NEXT
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch is planning two bullpen games in the series, with the first coming Tuesday. The Guardians will counter with RHP Xzavion Curry (0-2, 5.19 ERA).