Detroit Tigers pick up Tarik Skubal in 5-4 win over A's at Comerica Park Opening Day

Tarik Skubal pitched with confidence.

Skubal, a left-hander who commands American League Cy Young attention, started for the Detroit Tigers in Friday's home opener against the Oakland Athletics at Comerica Park. He had swagger like a pitcher in complete control, striking out Shea Langeliers with a high-velocity fastball to finish his first inning of work and backpedaling back to the dugout.

The Tigers beat the Athletics, 5-4, but not without help from Skubal's teammates.

Doubles from Spencer Torkelson and Gio Urshela snapped a tie game in the eighth inning, and after the Tigers jumped in front, left-handed reliever Andrew Chafin and right-handed reliever Alex Lange slammed the door on the A's in the ninth inning.

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Skubal spent a lot of time backpedaling in his second start of the season, racking up nine strikeouts across 6⅓ innings, but he gave up four runs in his final 1⅓ innings. The Athletics snapped Skubal's scoreless streak at 22 innings, dating back to last season, in the sixth inning with Brent Rooker's home run.

It wasn't easy, but the Tigers (6-1) had fun in front of a sold-out crowd of 44,711 fans in the first game at Comerica Park. Matt Vierling and Mark Canha launched solo home runs, while Torkelson and Riley Greene each drove in one run.

Torkelson had a big game.

He set the table — becoming the game-winning run — by hitting a leadoff double against right-handed reliever Lucas Erceg in the bottom of the eighth inning. Greene and Canha struck out, but Urshela didn't squander the Tigers' opportunity.

Urshela drove in the game-winning run with a double to the gap in left-center field.

His double put the Tigers ahead, 5-4.

Skubal's start

Skubal was practically untouchable in his first five innings.

The only hit was a first-inning single from Rooker, at least until Zack Gelof's double in the sixth inning, and with two outs, Rooker turned on a slider that Skubal hung over the hart of the plate for a two-run home run to left field. In the seventh, Abraham Toro turned on a down-and-in fastball and somehow pulled the heater for a solo home run to left field.

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The A's weren't done.

Skubal walked JJ Bleday on six pitches after the second of two homers, then he was replaced by right-handed reliever Will Vest. He threw his glove in frustration once he entered the dugout.

With Vest on the mound, the first batter, Ryan Noda, smoked a RBI single into center field, and the second batter, Nick Allen, grounded out to second base, but his groundout scored Bleday. Those balls in play tied the game, 4-4, after the top of the seventh.

It wasn't all negative, though.

Skubal struck out one batter in the first inning, two in the second, one in the third, two in the fourth, one in the fifth and one in the sixth before falling off the rails in the seventh. His fastball, changeup and slider were at their best in the early innings.

He generated 16 whiffs with two fastballs, nine changeups, four sliders and one sinker.

His fastball velocity dropped in the later innings, which was concerning. He ended up averaging 95.3 mph with his fastball, down from 95.8mph last season.

Hittin' homers

Vierling put the Tigers on the scoreboard in the fourth inning.

He hit an inside fastball from left-hander JP Sears on a line drive over the fence in left field for a 1-0 lead. The next three batters delivered hits for a 3-0 advantage: Andy Ibáñez (single), Torkelson (RBI double) and Greene (RBI single).

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In the sixth inning, Canha received a middle-middle fastball from Sears with two outs. He demolished the fastball with a 107 mph exit velocity for a 414-foot solo home run.

Canha, who played his first seven of 10 seasons with the Athletics, stared down the visitor's dugout while the ball flew to left field. It was his second homer of the year.

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers top A's at Comerica Park Opening Day