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 that extensive run support before their starter even took the mound. Kevin McGonigle opened the game with a double, and Colt Keith quickly brought him home with a sharp line-drive single. Moments later, 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 would add a solo blast in the fifth.
With a substantial lead in hand, Skubal attacked the strike zone directly. He retired the side in order in the first inning, recording the second out of the frame by throwing a 97.5 mph four-seam fastball to strike out Mike Trout swinging.
Skubal mixed premium velocity with changeups to keep the Los Angeles hitters off balance. In the bottom of the second, he caught Jorge Soler looking at a 96.7 mph fastball, and in the fourth, he froze Trout with a 96.8 mph sinker for a called third strike.
When the Angels did manage to put runners on base, the Detroit defense prevented any sustained rallies. In the third inning, a sharp turn from Keith to Zach McKinstry to Torkelson resulted in an inning-ending double play.
Skubal encountered his only significant jam in the bottom of the sixth. Logan O’Hoppe led off with a line-drive single, and two batters later, Trout singled to right field to put two runners aboard. Following a mound visit to reset, Skubal induced a sharp grounder from Vaughn Grissom, allowing the defense to turn a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning and erase the threat.
Returning for the seventh, Skubal minimized hard contact to secure his final three outs in order. He used changeups to strike out both Soler and Jo Adell swinging before forcing Nolan Schanuel to ground out directly back to the mound on an 80.6 mph curveball.
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.
Skubal threw 60 of his 87 pitches for strikes before exiting the game, lowering his season ERA to 2.83 and leaving the bullpen with a seven-run lead to protect.
