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Braves rough up Tarik Skubal, complete sweep of Tigers

Chris McCosky, The Detroit News on

Published in Baseball

ATLANTA — Tarik Skubal, human being.

His magical season was interrupted by a harsh reality check from the Atlanta Braves, who exposed his imperfections and knocked him out of the game after four innings, completing a three-game sweep of the Tigers on Wednesday, 7-0, at Truist Park.

It was the shortest and least effective of Skubal’s 15 starts. He ended up contributing to his early exit with two walks and two hit-batsmen, very uncharacteristic lapses in control and command.

He also got tagged with a pair of home runs. Sean Murphy clobbered a fat, 1-2 change-up in the third inning, a two-out, two-run homer. It was the second homer Skubal has allowed off a change-up in his last two starts.

In Murphy’s first at-bat, he ripped a single on a 1-1 curveball. It was the first hit Skubal had allowed all year with his curveball. Hitters had been 0 for 11 against that pitch.

With two outs in that same inning, Ozzie Albies slapped an RBI single off another curveball.

It was that kind of day for Skubal. And for Murphy.

He came in with one home run on the year. He hit his second homer of the game in the fifth off reliever Mason Englert.

Skubal’s day ended after a messy fourth inning. Ramon Laureano ambushed a first-pitch fastball (velo down to 94 mph) and drove it into the seats in left field to start the inning. Skubal then plunked Albies and walked Marcell Ozuna.

 

Albies broke for third base and Skubal made a rushed and errant throw. Albies trotted home.

The final line for Skubal: four innings, five runs, four earned, seven strikeouts.

The Tigers offense, which scored just one run in each of the first two games, remained dormant against Braves pitching.

Resurgent right-hander Reynaldo Lopez blanked the Tigers through five innings, lowering his ERA to 1.57.

The Tigers collected seven hits off him and had runners on the bases in each of his five innings. But, familiar refrain, they were 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position.

Wenceel Perez and Andy Ibanez had two singles each.

The Tigers fell a season-worst six games under .500 (34-40).


©2024 The Detroit News. Visit detroitnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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