Skubal continues to struggle at Kauffman Stadium

KANSAS CITY — Tarik Skubal has been exceptional for the Tigers since Opening Day, but at Kauffman Stadium, his performance falters.

This statistical weakness has plagued him even before his recent dominant stretch. It was on his mind when he defeated the Royals at Comerica Park on April 28.

“It’s good to face this team at home, but hopefully the next time I face this team it’s in Kauffman so I can rewrite that one too,” he said after that game. “They’ve kind of hit me around a little bit, and I don’t like that.”

Skubal got his chance on Wednesday afternoon. However, despite anticipating a matchup with fellow lefty changeup specialist Cole Ragans, he didn’t expect the Royals to handle his changeup and fastball so effectively.

By the time Riley Greene hit a two-out single in the sixth inning for the Tigers’ first hit off Ragans, Skubal had already thrown his final pitch, having allowed four runs over five innings—matching the total runs he allowed in his previous three starts combined. This led to his first loss since last August, ending a 14-game unbeaten streak where he was 10-0 with a 1.48 ERA. The Royals swept the series, handing the Tigers an 8-3 defeat and dropping them three games under .500 for the first time this year.

This series was a significant statement for the Royals, who never trailed and continued to be a nightmare for Skubal at Kauffman Stadium. While he has pitched 11 innings of one-run ball in the Royals’ last two visits to Detroit, he is 1-5 with a 6.14 ERA at Kauffman, his highest ERA in any division rival’s park.

A.J. Hinch discusses offensive struggles and Skubal’s performance in the loss.

After recording seven-strikeout games in two of his four appearances at Kauffman Stadium in 2021 and 2022, Skubal has lost his last three starts there, giving up 15 earned runs, including a career-high seven runs on eight hits last July in his third start after flexor tendon surgery.

Skubal doesn’t consider it a statistical anomaly. However, if he knew the reason for the difference, he would have addressed it.

“You tell me. I don’t know,” he said. “I felt like I made some quality pitches today. Stat line is a little misleading, I think. But that’s part of baseball, too. I want to be great every time out, but that’s just not the nature of the game. Sometimes you’re going to get beat up a little bit.”

Andy Ibáñez’s two-run double

The sight of Skubal working on his middle finger with tweezers before the game, as shown on the Bally Sports Detroit telecast, might have seemed like a bad omen. However, Skubal stated that this wasn’t the reason for his performance or pitch selection.

Whatever the cause, his command wasn’t as sharp as it usually is. Although he walked only two of the 22 batters he faced, he ended up in six three-ball counts, including four consecutive batters in a two-run, 31-pitch second inning.

“They had some really good at-bats, fouled off some really good pitches,” Skubal said. “Too many pitchers counts led to 3-2 counts, and that’s a credit to their hitters. I have to do better at finishing those at-bats.”

Riley Greene breaks up Ragans’ no-hitter in the 6th

Skubal’s fastball was around 98 mph in his opening inning, but its location became inconsistent, especially to his arm side—inside to lefties and outside to righties. While he got seven swinging strikes with his fastball, he only had two called strikes. Interestingly, he had more called strikes with his slider (five) than any other pitch.

“He did spray the ball a little bit more than usual,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “They also did a tremendous job of putting the ball in play when they needed to.”

Gio Urshela’s diving play

Skubal’s changeup, a key reason why right-handed hitters have struggled against him this year, seemed to be a target for Royals hitters.

“They know it’s his best pitch,” catcher Jake Rogers said. “He still got swing-and-miss on it, still got strikeouts with it. But sometimes they sit on it and connect. I think they did a better job today staying with that pitch.”

It happens. Ragans, despite his strong performance on Wednesday and throughout most of the season, has had games where he’s given up seven runs, affecting his overall stats. However, struggling against this particular opponent will linger with Skubal until the Tigers return in September.