Skubal frustrated with results after Yanks sting him with long ball

DETROIT -- The last time Tarik Skubal gave up three home runs in a game, he was wrapping up his first full Major League season in 2021 with a Byron Buxton homer, a Brent Rooker blast and a Josh Donaldson drive, all in 3 1/3 innings in Minnesota.

He gave up three homers five times that season, including a July 30 start at home in which Pedro Severino got him twice. That was the only three-homer game he’d allowed at Comerica Park in his career.

As Jasson Domínguez turned on Skubal’s full-count changeup and sent it deep to left Wednesday night, Skubal pounded his glove. He had already tested the adage that solo homers don’t beat you, allowing a pair to lefty masher Paul Goldschmidt that comprised his only hits through five innings. Just when he seemed in the clear, having finally retired Goldschmidt in the sixth, he gave up a Ben Rice single and lost a nine-pitch battle with Domínguez.

It was a go-ahead home run that built a two-run lead that felt bigger. And as the Tigers reflected on a 4-2 loss in the rubber match of their three-game series against the Yankees, owners of the American League’s best record, it felt big.

It was his third start since surgery to remove a loose body from his left elbow, but he’s not buying the notion of an adjustment period.

“What matters right now is results, and I haven’t been good enough,” Skubal said. “I haven’t held up my end of the bargain in terms of what my team expects out of me, what I expect out of myself every time I’m out there. I’ll be better for it. It’ll continue to motivate me and push me to be a better version of myself. But unfortunately, our season is where it’s at. You can’t really dwell on process days.

“I could sit here and say I had a great day, I thought I was in control and dominated. But at the same time, I put our team down two runs in the sixth inning and made at-bats really tough for our guys, because we’re going to face their leverage guys. It’s just not good enough, and we don’t have that room for error just based on our record and where we’re at in the season. I understand that, and I think everybody in here understands that.”

It’s a glimpse of the pressure he puts on himself every time he takes the mound.

“It’s part of the gig,” Skubal said. “Pressure’s a privilege in this sport. It’s a privilege in life, honestly. Everyone in here has high expectations for me, and I appreciate that. Our fan base has high expectations for me, and I appreciate that. Early in my career, it wasn’t like that. And you can feel it. And I love it. I wouldn’t want it any other way. I just need to perform a little bit better and execute a couple pitches a little bit better and flip the script.”

Skubal gave up his first leadoff homer of the season, falling behind Goldschmidt on a 3-0 count before his 3-1 fastball landed in the Tigers’ bullpen. Skubal retired his next eight batters in order, but Goldschmidt got him again, this time on an 0-1 curveball at the bottom of the zone.

“First [homer], the fastball [on] the fourth pitch of that at-bat, it's up and in. He pulls it, homer,” Skubal said. “Then you execute a heater away and you throw a big spin pitch to change the pace of the at-bat, and he pulls it for another homer. He's a really good hitter, and he hits left-handed pitching really well. He's had a heckuva career, and unfortunately he's hit a few more homers off me in my career, too.”

Skubal not only retired his next eight batters again after Goldschmidt’s second homer -- he struck out six of them. Up came Goldschmidt with one out in the sixth, and they battled for nine pitches before Skubal delivered his fastest pitch of the night. Goldschmidt couldn’t catch up with the 99.6 mph heater, and Skubal pounded his chest and pointed to the sky.

Just when Skubal seemed to have crossed his danger zone, the Yankees answered. Rice’s single forced Skubal to pitch with a runner on base for the first time all evening. Domínguez survived an 0-2 hole, fouling off three pitches and taking three others to force another nine-pitch at-bat.

Finally, Skubal turned to his changeup to try to finish him off. Domínguez turned on it and sent it to the front row of the left-field seats.

“The first five or six pitches were pretty well-executed,” Skubal said. “It was pretty well-executed at-bat, just one pitch that I probably want back, and he runs it out of the yard.”