Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal was a huge fan of the Oakland Athletics when he was growing up southwest of Sacramento.
He dreamed about pitching in the Oakland Coliseum and surely never suspected he’d one day be pitching in the majors at West Sacramento, Calif.
But that indeed will be the case Monday night when the left-handed Skubal starts at the Athletics’ three-season temporary home in the opener of a three-game series.
Not surprisingly, Skubal, who is looking to repeat as the American League’s Cy Young Award winner, did attend minor league games at the A’s current home in Sutter Health Park.
“I’ve been to that stadium as a kid,” Skubal told reporters in Detroit on Sunday. “I went to games growing up there, too. I don’t remember what it looks like at all from my memory. I remember it being on the water, but that’s about it.
“It’ll be fun. I got a lot of family that lives closer to Sacramento than Oakland, so I’ll get to see a lot of them.”
Skubal (11-3, 2.32 ERA) leads the majors in WHIP at 0.87 and ranks second in strikeouts (200) and ERA. However, he is just 1-1 over his past nine starts despite not allowing a run three times. One of the outings was against the Houston Astros last Tuesday, when he gave up three hits in seven innings and received a no-decision in a 1-0, 10-inning victory.
Skubal, 28, defeated the Athletics on June 24 in Detroit, but it wasn’t particularly pretty. He gave up four runs and six hits over six innings and served up two-run homers to Brent Rooker and now-injured Denzel Clarke in an 11-4 victory.
Rooker is 8-for-17 with three homers off Skubal, who is is 4-2 with a 3.00 ERA in nine career starts against the Athletics. Skubal went 2-1 with a 1.19 ERA in four starts at the Coliseum.
The Tigers will start a six-game road trip with three games against the A’s and three vs. the Kansas City Royals.
Detroit lost 10-8 at home to the Royals on Sunday for its lone loss on a six-game homestand. The Tigers outscored the Astros 18-2 during a three-game set and won the first two contests of the series against Kansas City.
“Good homestand, well-played across the board,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “Could have played a little bit better (Sunday) to hopefully get a perfect homestand, but two series wins.”
The Athletics were rocked 11-4 on Sunday by the Seattle Mariners to close a 4-2 road trip. Both losses were to the Mariners.
A’s All-Star shortstop Jacob Wilson went 2-for-4 with a homer, two RBIs and two runs on Sunday. Wilson went 5-for-12 in the three-game set after missing four weeks with a fractured left forearm.
While Wilson looks to be back in form, Sunday’s beating saw left-hander Jacob Lopez exit in the third inning with left forearm tightness.
Lopez was torched for nine runs in two-plus innings and walked six batters. This is the same pitcher who recently threw 24 scoreless innings over a four-start stretch.
“When we took Jacob out, he didn’t really feel great,” said Athletics manager Mark Kotsay, who indicated Lopez would undergo testing on Monday.
Right-hander J.T. Ginn (2-5, 4.95 ERA) will be on the mound for the Athletics in the opener. Ginn, 26, is 0-3 with a 7.88 ERA in four August starts. He received a no-decision against the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday when he gave up two runs and seven hits over 4 2/3 innings in his team’s 4-2 victory in 10 innings.
Ginn gave up two runs and four hits in two innings of relief in Detroit on June 26. He allowed a two-run homer to Gleyber Torres. Overall, Ginn is 0-1 with a 6.43 ERA in two career appearances (one start) against the Tigers.
–Field Level Media
