KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal struggled in his third start since returning from flexor tendon surgery. His poor performance contributed to Tuesday’s 11-10 loss to the Kansas City Royals.
The 26-year-old allowed seven runs on eight hits and one walk with three strikeouts across four innings.
He needed 32 pitches to get three outs in the fourth inning.
“My stuff was fine,” Skubal said Wednesday. “My strike percentage was fine. I was in my counts for the most part. So, it’s like, whatever man, (expletive) it and on to the next one. That’s how it goes.”
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Skubal dominated in the first two innings.
He retired the first six batters he faced, racking up all three of his strikeouts: Maikel Garcia (96.6 mph four-seam fastball), Nick Pratto (87.8 mph slider) and Freddy Fermin (97.5 mph four-seam fastball).
In the next two innings, though, the Royals chased Skubal by swinging early in counts and putting the ball in play. It seemed like the Royals, despite only two barrels on 16 balls in play, figured something out.
Maybe Skubal started tipping his pitches.
He disagreed.
“Obviously, your brain wants to go there, but I think that’s a copout,” Skubal said. “Guys that go right to the tipping, I think it’s a copout. Usually, it’s a product of count leverage, first-pitch strikes, getting ahead and pitch execution. If you looked at all my pitches, execution in two-strike counts probably wasn’t my best. … I’m never going to make excuses. I expect myself to go out there and compete.”
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Manager A.J. Hinch appreciated Skubal’s response to the possibility of tipping his pitches.
“There’s always a chance that guys tip,” Hinch said Wednesday. “That has taken over the sport in the last five to 10 years, where that’s the reason for everything. It’s not always the case. If you don’t execute, you’re going to get hit. It’s not that easy to rely on tipping as the answer, so I applaud him for that. It doesn’t surprise me.”
Skubal, who didn’t allow a run in eight innings over his first two starts, said he “felt great” from a health standpoint.
He could make his next start Sunday against the San Diego Padres or Monday against the San Francisco Giants. The Tigers, in an effort to protect Skubal’s left arm from another injury, might push him back to Monday for an extra day of rest.
“We’re still talking about Sunday versus Monday,” Hinch said. “There’s still a real likelihood that we will go with the extra rest as we have mapped out for the remainder of the season. I don’t want to commit to that now, because there’s a lot of time between now and then, but we’re going to continue to be disciplined.”
Everyday player emerges
Outfielder Kerry Carpenter, a left-handed hitter, started back-to-back games against left-handed pitchers from the Royals, facing Daniel Lynch on Tuesday and Ryan Yarbrough on Wednesday.
“I think I can hit lefties,” Carpenter said.
His role has changed coming out of the All-Star break. The Tigers have upgraded Carpenter to an everyday player, regardless of the handedness of the pitcher, in the middle of the batting order.
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Carpenter had previously only started against righties.
“I’m thankful for the opportunity,” said Carpenter, who entered Tuesday with 19 plate appearances against lefties. “I’m just going to do what I know I can do. I’ll put together some good at-bats, and hopefully, good results come from that.”
Carpenter is hitting .271 with 11 home runs, 14 walks and 47 strikeouts over 52 games this season, his second year in the big leagues. Since his June 9 return from the injured list, he has a .307 batting average with seven home runs and a .931 OPS over 32 games.
He has a track record of hitting left-handers, at least in the minors.
Carpenter hit .308 with a .905 OPS in 112 plate appearances against lefties in 2022, spanning stints in Double-A Erie, Triple-A Toledo and Detroit. He has always hit for more power against righty pitchers.
“The bullpen lefties are probably the biggest difference because those guys are in there to get lefty hitters out, like they’re lefty specialists,” Carpenter said, comparing the minor leagues and major leagues. “That seems to be the big difference. Usually, they’re lefty sinkerballers. Those guys are toughest against lefties.”
Red-hot Torkelson
First baseman Spencer Torkelson, the 2020 No. 1 overall pick, is hitting .232 with 14 home runs and a .726 OPS in 92 games.
The 23-year-old finished 3-for-5 with two home runs and one double in Tuesday’s 11-10 loss to the Royals. He showcased his elite potential, once again, when he launched the homers off Lynch in the first and fifth innings.
“He’s doing his thing,” Hinch said. “It takes a lot of at-bats to feel like you belong, and it takes a lot of at-bats to convince a lot of people that you belong. He’s well on his way, and he’s doing a lot of really good things.”
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Since June 27, Torkelson is hitting .297 with a 1.038 OPS across 16 games. He has four doubles, one triple, six home runs, seven walks and 17 strikeouts during the most productive stretch of his 202-game career.
“I just hope we allow him to have another peak and valley because that’s the way the sport is,” Hinch said. “He’s got the scarlet letter on him as the No. 1, and I know he’s got a lot of attention on him. He’s handled it great. He continues to be better and better every day. He’s not a finished product.”
Prospect lands on IL
Triple-A Toledo outfielder Justyn-Henry Malloy, a top prospect acquired from the Atlanta Braves in an offseason trade, was placed on the 7-day injured list Tuesday without an injury designation.
The 23-year-old is expected to return to the Mud Hens soon, so he won’t miss significant time.
Malloy is hitting .275 with 15 home runs, 60 walks and 92 strikeouts in 83 games this season. He has a .321 batting average with six home runs, 15 walks, 21 strikeouts and a 1.011 OPS in his past 22 games.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold.