Not a great day to watch Tigers baseball, this afternoon. The series conclusion saw and uncharacteristically uneven Tarik Skubal face off against Reynaldo Lopez in Atlanta. Things did not go well for the Tigers.
Top of the first, Wenceel Perez singled, then stole second. Two outs followed, starting a game-long trend of the Tigers not scoring their baserunners. In the bottom half Ozzie Albies got a one-out single, Marcell Ozuna walked, and Austin Riley was hit by a pitch. With the bases loaded they got lucky with a groundout, and even though the out call was challenged, the Tigers got lucky and it was upheld.
Gio Ursehela singled to start the second, then two outs later Akil Baddoo walked. No runners scored. Sean Murphy started the home half with a single, followed by a Ramon Laureano single. Ozzie Albies singled with two outs to score Murphy and put the Braves on the board. They’d settle for one, but it wouldn’t be their last.
Perez singled again in the third, but was eliminated by a double-play and the Tigers once again went back to the dugout emptyhanded. For the Braves, Austin Riley got a one-out double, then Sean Murphy homered to score two runs. The Braves were up 3-0.
Urshela got a one-out single in the fourth. Another out later, Andy Ibanez singled. Neither runner was able to score, but at least they were getting on base. Onto the bottom half and Laureano hit a solo home run. Ozzie Albies was then hit by a pitch, the second hit batter of the game for Skubal. Marcell Ozuna walked, then Ozzie Albies stole third and Ozuna stole second on a throwing error from Skubal, and Albies was able to make it all the way home to score another run. 5-0 Braves. That was it for Skubal who went 4.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 2 HR on 83 pitches. Not his best day, for sure.
Colt Keith got a two-out single in the fifth, followed by a Riley Greene single that got Keith all the way to third. Greene then stole second. Still no runs scored. Mason Englert came in to pitch for the Tigers, and Adam Duvall singled, then got to second on a throwing error from Zach McKinstry. A wild pitch from Englert allowed Duvall to get to third. Sean Murphy then homered to score two runs. Two outs later Jarred Kelenic doubled, but the Braves left him stranded.
Aaron Bummer came in out of the Braves’ pen. Andy Ibanez managed a two-out single, but that was all the Tigers mustered. In the home half Austin Riley singled, but he, too, was left stranded.
The top of the seventh saw the Tigers go 1-2-3 for the first time all game, surprisingly. In the bottom half Sean Murphy singled, but was eliminated on a double play.
Daysbel Hernandez was the next Braves reliever, he set the Tigers down in order. The bottom of the eighth was the first 1-2-3 inning for the Braves.
Grant Holmes came in to close out the game for the Braves, and got them three-up, three-down to finish the game off.
Final: Braves 7, Tigers 0