DETROIT — Tarik Skubal does what an ace does and that is give a team a chance to win. The left-hander delivered another dominant outing in the Detroit Tigers’ 6–0 victory over the Chicago White Sox. Backed by early offense that included home runs from Jahmai Jones and Gleyber Torres, Skubal earned his 13th win of the year while tightening Detroit’s grip on the American League Central race.
Fast Start at Home
The tone was set early. After Skubal worked around a leadoff walk in the top of the first by inducing a double play and a flyout, Detroit wasted no time getting him run support. Jahmai Jones jumped on Martín Pérez’s first offering in the bottom half, launching a leadoff homer deep to left. Comerica Park buzzed as Jones circled the bases, giving the Tigers a quick 1–0 lead.
Detroit threatened to add more when Wenceel Pérez singled and Spencer Torkelson reached on a fielding error, but White Sox center fielder Michael A. Taylor tracked down consecutive fly balls to end the inning.
Skubal Finds His Rhythm
From there, Skubal found his groove. He breezed through the second and third innings, retiring six straight batters, mixing a mid-90s fastball with a biting slider and well-placed changeups. Chicago’s only real contact in those frames came on a lineout by Dominic Fletcher, but right fielder Pérez made a clean grab to preserve the lead.
Meanwhile, Detroit’s offense kept pushing. Riley Greene opened the fourth with a single, and Andy Ibáñez followed with a walk. Dillon Dingler’s fly ball advanced Greene to third, and Zach McKinstry cashed in with a double down the line in left, stretching the Tigers’ lead to 2–0. Javier Báez added a sacrifice fly, and then Torres delivered the knockout swing, a three-run blast to left-center that made it 6–0 and sent Pérez to an early shower as Detroit finally got to him.
It was the type of inning Detroit has been waiting for: patient at-bats, timely hits, and power from the middle of the order.
Masterful Execution
Given the cushion, Skubal went to work. He struck out Colson Montgomery looking to start the fifth, handled Curtis Mead with a soft comebacker, and shrugged off a Bryan Ramos double by fanning Taylor to end the inning.
By the sixth, Skubal looked untouchable. He froze Brooks Baldwin with a perfectly placed fastball for his fifth strikeout of the night, then coaxed weak grounders from Fletcher and Edgar Quero to erase a Meidroth single. Chicago hitters seemed increasingly uncomfortable, rarely squaring him up.
The seventh inning showcased just how efficient Skubal had become. Three batters, three outs, all routine. In total, he tossed seven scoreless innings, scattering just three hits and two walks while striking out seven.
Bullpen Seals It
Manager A.J. Hinch turned to the bullpen in the eighth, handing the ball to Tommy Kahnle, who retired the side on just 11 pitches. Rafael Montero closed it out in the ninth, aided by Detroit’s slick defense. With one on and one out, Korey Lee bounced into a game-ending double play, McKinstry to Torres to Torkelson, fittingly showcasing the infield that had backed Skubal all evening.