Skubal's spring finale shows flashes of brilliance despite a rough inning. Meanwhile,Kevin McGonigle and his Opening Day fate still remains.
arik Skubal made his final audition before Opening Day on Friday at BayCare Ballpark, and while the Tigers' ace didn't walk away with a win, he gave Detroit's brass plenty of encouragement heading into next week's regular season opener in San Diego.
Skubal took the ball against a Philadelphia Phillies lineup loaded with big-league veterans, and the early returns were promising. He cruised through the first two innings without allowing a run, relying on the sharp stuff that made him one of baseball's most dominant pitchers a year ago. Through two frames, Skubal had surrendered nothing and appeared locked in, working efficiently and keeping Philadelphia's dangerous lineup off balance.
The third inning, however, proved to be his undoing, and not entirely through his own fault. The Phillies broke through in a big way, scoring four runs and chasing Skubal from the game. Justin Crawford set the tone with a leadoff triple, and while Trea Turner grounded out, Kyle Schwarber reached on a Spencer Torkelson error that opened the floodgates. Bryce Harper followed with an RBI single, Alec Bohm doubled home a run, and Adolis García delivered the knockout blow with a two-run single that pushed Philadelphia in front 4-0.
Skubal's final spring line won't look pretty on paper, but the error from Torkelson extended the inning unnecessarily. The Tigers immediately sent Luke Taggart out to mop up, before bringing Skubal back out for the bottom of the third to log additional innings, an unusual but telling move that suggests Hinch, or anyone else really, isn't the least bit worried about it.
As for Kevin McGonigle, Friday's game did him no favors. The 22-year-old third base prospect went 0-for-3 on the afternoon, with his most notable moment coming in the top of the third when his called strikeout was upheld after a challenge under the new automated ball-strike system, not exactly the highlight he was looking for. He grounded out in the fifth and popped out in the eighth, finishing the day without reaching base.
The roster decision surrounding McGonigle remains one of the most compelling storylines of Tigers camp. The young infielder has the ceiling that gets evaluators excited, but the question has always been whether he's ready to contribute at the big-league level right now, or whether he'd benefit from more seasoning in the minors. Friday's quiet afternoon didn't move the needle in either direction, which in itself might be the problem. The talent is there, and despite the numbers, he should be considered.
Detroit ultimately rallied for a 4-4 tie, with Dillon Dingler's seventh-inning, game-tying two-run homer providing the afternoon's most dramatic moment for Detroit. Enmanuel De Jesus continues his impressive spring, tossing a pair of scoreless innings and striking out three. One of the key parts of the WBC champs Venezuela team has pitched 8.1 innings, striking out 10 and has not allowed an earned run.
Will Vest, who also appeared in the WBC final for Team USA, tossed a scoreless inning and Ricky Vanasco, after a rough start to the spring, was hitting 95-96 with his fastbqll but his secondaries in his three appearances has looked good as he will head back to Toledo.
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