ANAHEIM -- Tarik Skubal spent his All-Star break in Detroit, bypassing a typical midsummer vacation to get his regular between-starts work at Comerica Park. On Saturday at Angel Stadium, that preparation paid off immediately.
Backed by a four-run burst in the first inning, Skubal silenced the Angels' bats, scattering five hits over seven scoreless innings while striking out nine without issuing a walk in the Tigers' 7-0 win.
The Detroit offense provided extensive run support before their starter even took the mound, led by a historic moment from rookie infielder Kevin McGonigle. Leading off the game, McGonigle capped an eight-pitch at-bat by hooking a double into right-center field. The hit was the 100th of his career, making him and Hall of Famer Ty Cobb the only players in Tigers franchise history aged 21 or younger to reach the century mark in fewer than 100 career games.
"Man, I just found out literally right after the game,” McGonigle said with a smile. “Obviously, my name being up there with Ty Cobb, it's something I never really imagined, to be honest with you. I'm just proud of myself so far with how much I've been trying to help this team. All those hits come from helping this team, and that's my mindset."
Colt Keith quickly drove McGonigle home with a sharp single before Spencer Torkelson broke the frame open, launching a three-run homer into the left-center-field seats to establish a quick 4-0 cushion. Torkelson, who added a solo blast in the fifth inning, noted that the lineup's ability to cash in early allowed everyone to relax and stick to their game plan.
"He delivered a big blow in the first inning and got us off to an incredible start," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said of Torkelson. "Four is a lot different than one. ... He was bouncing all over the field tonight."
With a substantial lead in hand, Skubal went into attack mode, retiring the side in order in the first inning and striking out Mike Trout swinging on a 97.5 mph four-seam fastball. Skubal mixed his premium velocity with changeups to keep the Los Angeles hitters off balance, catching Jorge Soler looking at a 96.7 mph fastball in the second and freezing Trout with a 96.8 mph sinker in the fourth.
"Any time you get a big lead ... you can be more aggressive in the zone because it's going to take a lot to beat you that day," Skubal said. "It allows you to pitch deeper in the game."
When the Angels did put runners on base, the Detroit defense stepped up. A sharp 5-4-3 double play erased a runner in the third, but Skubal encountered his only significant jam in the bottom of the sixth after Logan O'Hoppe and Trout both singled to put two aboard. Following a mound visit, Skubal induced a sharp grounder from Vaughn Grissom, allowing the defense to turn a crisp 6-4-3 double play to end the threat.
"A lot of that was self-inflicted. ... I need to execute better in those counts," Skubal said of the two-strike singles. "[In the mound visit], it was like, 'Hey, let's just get him on the ground.' It feels good when you say something and you actually do it."
Skubal returned for the seventh, using changeups to strike out both Soler and Jo Adell swinging before forcing Nolan Schanuel to ground out directly back to the mound. Skubal threw 60 of his 87 pitches for strikes, lowering his season ERA to 2.83.
"He settled in great after a four-spot and he knew he could pound the strike zone," Hinch said. "He kept his edge and he kept his intent at a really high level."
The scoreless outing marked a rebound for Skubal, who took a loss against the Phillies in his previous start last Sunday. Pitching on five days of rest on Saturday, his velocity remained consistent throughout the evening.
"I'm not going to change who I am on the mound, but I don't think I've held up my side of the deal lately in the last couple of starts," Skubal said. "It's just frustrating. The way to fix that is to get ahead with first-pitch strikes and put guys away in three or four pitches.
“The more you're in the zone, the more they start swinging, and that allows you to pitch deeper. I've been frustrated for sure, but I can't let that impact my start. Today was much better."
Following Skubal's exit, relievers Jacob Waguespack, Kyle Finnegan and Brenan Hanifee combined over the final two frames to secure the shutout, locking down a series win for Detroit with an opportunity for a sweep on Sunday.