DETROIT -- While the Tigers made Sandy Alcantara look mortal for the first time this season, Tarik Skubal threatened to take the next step in his progression toward pitching immortality, holding the Marlins hitless for five-plus innings. A familiar face broke it up, but Skubal still held on for 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball and seven strikeouts, ending a personal two-game losing streak and putting the Tigers firmly in position to sweep the Marlins with an eventual 8-2 victory.
Skubal navigated a Marlins lineup perfectly his first time through, striking out four and allowing just two balls out of the infield. His first baserunner of the day was Austin Slater, who was his Spring Training teammate as a non-roster invite to Tigers camp before he opted out and signed with Miami. Slater, who worked a 3-0 count before hitting a comebacker to lead off the game, drew a four-pitch walk to lead off the fourth inning but was erased on a double play.
Skubal faced the minimum 14 batters until he hit Connor Norby with a 1-2 fastball with two outs in the fifth. Skubal ended the inning with a Xavier Edwards groundout to take his no-hit bid through five innings, but the baserunner ensured that Slater -- a veteran lefty nemesis and the most likely Marlin to break up the no-hitter -- would bat in the sixth.
After Skubal struck out Deyvison De Los Santos and retired Javier Sanoja, up came Slater again. This time, Skubal worked to get ahead in the count, starting him off with a 98 mph sinker that he fouled off. First baseman Spencer Torkelson made a mad dash into foul territory in right field to run it down, but his sliding attempt fell just short.
Skubal went with the heat again on the next pitch, this time a 98 mph four-seamer inside. Slater got enough of it for a blooper into shallow center field, leaving neither second baseman Gleyber Torres nor center fielder Javier Báez with a play. Skubal stranded him by striking out Agustín Ramírez.
Miami added a more solidly struck base hit in the seventh from Detroit-area native Jakob Marsee, whose fly ball into the right-field corner fell just out of Kerry Carpenter’s grasp for a leadoff triple. He scored on an Otto Lopez sacrifice fly to break up the shutout. Skubal left two batters later, after fanning Norby for his seventh strikeout of the day.
Skubal was able to work with a lead to protect from the second inning on, thanks to Detroit’s early onslaught against Alcantara, who allowed more than twice as many runs (seven) as he had all season. Dillon Dingler’s three-run homer completed a two-out rally in the first inning and gave Skubal more runs of support than he received in his previous two starts combined.