Skubal’s 13 Ks lead Tigers to 3-0 win over Twins

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    DETROIT — In a stellar performance Sunday night, Tarik Skubal propelled the Detroit Tigers to a 3-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins. The left-handed pitcher was in top form, striking out 13 batters across seven innings. Skubal (10-2) was dominant on the mound, surrendering just a single hit — a straightforward single to right field by Ty France in the fifth inning. This performance elevated his exceptional record to 10-0 with an impressive 1.74 ERA over his past 15 outings. This marks the longest winning streak by a Detroit lefty in a single season since Earl Whitehill’s 11-game run in 1930.

    The 13 strikeouts matched Skubal’s career high, which he previously achieved on May 25 during a 94-pitch shutout against the Guardians. On the offensive end, Chris Paddack (3-7) of the Twins conceded three runs over 4 2/3 innings. The Tigers made an early mark with Kerry Carpenter’s solo home run in the first inning. Carpenter later contributed a run-scoring triple in the fifth before exiting the game due to an apparent leg injury. Riley Greene also chipped in with a solo home run in the fourth.

    Will Vest took command in the ninth inning, securing his 13th save of the season. A pivotal moment in the game occurred when Skubal struck out eight of the first nine batters he faced, including an impressive streak of seven consecutive strikeouts. He almost made it eight when Byron Buxton sent a deep fly ball to Riley Greene at the warning track in left field. Historically, Buxton has had limited success against Skubal, going only 2 for 15 (.133), although both hits were home runs.

    Statistically, Skubal’s performance in June stands out, where he holds a 5-0 record. He joins the ranks of Justin Verlander in 2011 and Max Scherzer in 2013 as the only Tigers pitchers in the past 25 years to remain unbeaten or have four or more wins in June. Both Verlander and Scherzer eventually clinched the American League Cy Young Award in their respective years.

    Looking ahead, the Twins will have LHP Joe Ryan (8-3, 2.86 ERA) on the mound as they face the Marlins’ RHP Edward Cabrera (2-2, 3.78) in the series opener in Miami on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Tigers are set to play in Washington, where RHP Jack Flaherty (5-9, 4.80) will go up against Nationals RHP Trevor Williams (3-9, 5.65) on Tuesday.