Tigers 4, Royals 2: Tigers take the sweep thanks to Skubal's 17th win

Tarik Skubal pitched five innings of one-run ball, Riley Green hit a home run halfway to St. Louis and Trey Sweeney doubled two runs as the Tigers won the three-game series in Kansas City. With the Twins losing in extra innings in Cleveland, Detroit moved to within a half-game of Minnesota and clinched the final playoff spot.

The stage is set!

The Tigers entered this final game of the season against the Kansas City Royals on a three-game winning streak. They have the best record in baseball over the final month of the season, winning 24 of their last 34 games. Before this game, Detroit had closed a 10-game deficit out of a playoff spot and now moved within a game and a half of the Minnesota Twins for the final wild-card playoff spot with just ten games remaining in the season. The Tigers looked to win their final three games in Kansas City, even though the Royals had already clinched the season series, winning seven of the 12 games between the teams.

The stakes were high. Both teams had a chance to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016. The Royals were three games behind league leaders Cleveland, three games ahead of Detroit and 1.5 games ahead of the Twins.

On the mound for the Tigers was American League Cy Young leader Tarik Skubal, who made his 17th career debut.^th win of the season. Skubal was on his way to a rare triple crown by leading the league in wins, strikeouts and ERA. Despite the winning streak and Skubal's outstanding season, Detroit had lost his last two starts. Not tonight!

Royals starter Cole Ragans struck out six Tigers on Tuesday night to take the league lead over Skubal with three Ks, and the Detroit star looked to reclaim the lead. The Royals started right-hander Alec Marsh, who was 8-8 with a 4.52 ERA in 23 starts this season.

With one out in the first inning, Kerry Carpenter grabbed a breaking ball off his back knee and Wenceel Perez hit a single to right, putting runners on first and third base. After Marsh struck out Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson worked a walk to load the bases with two outs. Jace Jung threw a strikeout to end the threat, with Marsh throwing 28 pitches in that inning.

Tommy Pham hit a single through the middle to open the Royals' half of the first inning. Skubal struck out Bobby Witt Jr. and Salvador Perez hit a single through the middle to put two on base with one out. Robbie Grossman hit a ball off Skubal's glove, which he picked up and threw to second to force the out. Yuli Gurriel then hit a single past the diving Jung at third base to score the Royals' first run. Hunter Renfroe hit a pop out to Torkelson at first base to end the inning. 1-0 KC after one.

Zack McKinstry, filling in for Colt Keith (shoulder) at second base, entered the second inning as the first baseman and reached second on a wild pitch. Trey Sweeney struck out, and Jake Rogers hit a weak dribbler in front of the plate that Marsh threw down the line into right field, scoring McKinstry and tying the game. Rogers was safe at first base. Parker Meadows hit a soft, spinning liner to shortstop that Witt botched, putting two basemen on base with one out. Carpenter hit a pop-out to right, and Perez took a third strike. 1-1 with Marsh on 52 throws.

Skubal struck out Maikel Garcia and Paul DeJong in the second inning and was pressured on a 3-2 pitch to Garrett Hampson that should have been a strike but wasn't, ending a 26-inning walk-free streak. Pham ended the inning with a 6-4 groundout.

Riley Greene opened the Tigers' third inning with a 450-foot home run to right field that gave Detroit a 2-1 lead. (At the same time, Josh Naylor homered for Cleveland in the sixth inning to tie the Twins at 2-2, all the while watching the scoreboard.)

Torkelson walked and Jung followed with a single that put two on base with no one out. McKinstry hit a line drive to left field, but Trey Sweeney hit a ball down the right field line, just past the diving Gurriel. Torkelson scored and Joey Cora sent Jung home from first base, and he scored on a diving throw that landed at the plate, making Detroit 4-1. Marsh got Rogers to swing, and his day was over after 73 pitches. The Royals called in left-hander Daniel Lynch, who got Meadows to hit a ground out to second base, ending the inning.

Skubal struck out Witt and got Perez and Grossman to ground out in the bottom of the third inning to put the Royals out of the game in order. Lynch struck out Carpenter, Perez and Greene in the top of the fourth inning.

A look at the scoreboard shows that Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase (possibly Skubal's closest competitor for the Cy Young Award) took the Twins out of the game, leaving the game tied 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth. Jason Benetti provided updates on the Cleveland game throughout the game.

Skubal struck out the Royals in order in the fourth inning. It was still Tigers 4, Royals 1 when the game went into overtime in Cleveland.

After Lynch put the Tigers out of the game in order in the fifth, McKinstry, now moving to 3B, hit a grounder from Hampson with one out, bringing in a run on one out. Pham hit a fly ball to the warning track in right, but Perez caught the ball with a leaping catch on the fence for the second out. Skubal stripped Witt, putting two runners on base on two outs, but then got everything he had left and struck out Perez to end the threat.

Meanwhile, in Cleveland, the Twins scored two runs in the 10th inning and took a 4-2 lead.

Sweeney flew out to the center field track to end the sixth inning, then Rogers hit a single past Witt and Meadows hit an infield single to score two bases with one out. Vierling, filling in for Carpenter as a pinch hitter, flew out to the gap in right center field so Rogers could drive over to third base. Perez grounded out to make it 6-4 and end the inning. Still 4-1 Tigers when Cleveland scored the ghost runner and the Twins were 4-3 at the bottom of the 10th inning.

Brenan Hanifee took the mound to start the bottom of the sixth inning as Skubal was approaching the scientific number of (not) 100 pitches. 5.0 IP, 3 hits, 1 earned run, a BB on a miscue and seven Ks, putting Skubal back in the league lead. The Tigers said they wouldn't put too much pressure on Skubal in the end, as this is his first full season back from injury. They've stuck to their guns whether you like it or not. Hopefully that helps him in October…

After striking out Grossman, Gurriel reached first base with an infield single, but Hanifee brought Perez into a double play to end the sixth inning.

In Cleveland, the Guardians scored two more runs in the 10th inning to secure the win. This brought Detroit within one game of the Twins, at least temporarily. Tiger fans will definitely want to keep an eye on the scoreboard again.

Former Tiger John Schreiber took the mound for the Royals in the 7th inning and ordered the team off the field.

After Massey hit a single, Hanifee returned his serve and struck out the Royals one after another in the bottom half of the match.

Sam Long came in as a pitcher for Kansas City and also put the team out of action in the correct order. Still 4-1 for the Tigers.

When Hanifee came to the mound for a third inning in the eighth, McKinstry chased a fly ball into shallow left field down the line and retreated at the last second, putting Witt on second base with no outs. Perez hit a single through the right side to score Witt, making it 4-2.

Left-hander Sean Guenther, who had come out of nowhere with a 1.29 ERA in 14 innings, replaced Hanifee and immediately hit the grounder to third base for a 5-4-3 double play. It's incredible how often they do that. Two outs, nobody on base, and Tiger Town breathed a sigh of relief. Renfroe flew out to left to end the inning. We were in the ninth inning and the Tigers were leading 4-2.

Carlos Hernandez took the mound for the Royals to start the ninth inning and walked Vierling and Perez before forcing Greene into a double play. Vierling reached third base with two outs on the play, but Torkelson misfired to end the inning.

Guenther came back for the bottom of the ninth inning after Jason Foley worked the last three nights and Tyler Holton worked three of the last five games. He struck out a batter. Michael Massey hit a line drive that was caught by Torkelson, who drifted to right, making perhaps his best defensive play of the season.

Will Vest came in with one out and nobody on base. He got DeJong to get the first out with a blooper to Andy Ibanez at second base, then struck out Kyle Isbel with a beautiful heater to the edge to end the game and seal the win.

With this win, the Tigers are now one game away from 81 wins and just a half game away from the Twins, who can clinch the final wild card spot with nine games left in the season. We're in the playoff race, folks! It's been a while!!

Skubal earned his 17th win, leading the league, and regained the lead in strikeouts, leading all three Triple Crown categories.

The Tigers now have a day off to give their overworked bullpen some rest. They head to Baltimore to begin a three-game series Friday night with just nine games left in the season. Meanwhile, the Twins feel the breath of the 2024 Detroit Tigers breathing down their necks.