Tarik Skubal struck out 10 in seven innings and Detroit’s offense backed him with four homers as the Tigers topped host Philadelphia, 7-5, on Saturday.
Skubal (11-3) held the Phillies scoreless in the first six innings before giving up three runs in the seventh. Javier Baez led the offense with a two-run homer and two-run triple.
Kyle Finnegan, making his Detroit debut after being acquired from Washington, got the last four outs for his 21st save this season.
Colt Keith, Kerry Carpenter and Gleyber Torres supplied solo homers as Detroit won for the fifth time in six games.
Nick Castellanos and Bryce Harper blasted two-run homers for the Phillies. Zach Wheeler (9-5) allowed four runs (three earned) and nine hits in six-plus innings with 10 strikeouts.
In the third inning, Keith jumped on a first pitch fastball and drove it over the right field wall to give Detroit the lead. With two out, Carpenter smashed a Wheeler fastball over the right-center field wall for his 18th homer to make it 2-0.
The Phillies’ Weston Wilton ripped a one-out double off the right-center field wall in the sixth. After a groundout, left fielder Riley Greene made a sliding catch against Kyle Schwarber to keep Skubal’s shutout alive.
Dillon Dingler reached on an error by third baseman Otto Kemp leading off the seventh. Baez then slammed a sinker over the left-center field wall to end Wheeler’s day and give the Tigers a 4-0 lead.
He was replaced by Tanner Banks, who gave up Torres’ long ball over the center field wall before the inning was over.
Philadelphia responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning. Harper led off with a single and scored on J.T. Realmuto’s double. Castellanos then jumped on a Skubal changeup and drove it over the center field wall for his 15th homer.
The Tigers pushed their lead to 7-3 in the eighth. Zach McKinstry and Dingler drew two-out walks against Matt Strahm and scored on Baez’s triple.
The Phillies got those runs back on Harper’s two-run shot off of Will Vest.
–Field Level Media
