Detroit Tigers' Tarik Skubal gets plenty of run support in 8-2 win over Minnesota Twins

The cold didn't seem to bother Tarik Skubal.

If it did, nobody would have known.

The Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins delayed the start of Friday's series opener by one-hour, five minutes because of rain. When Skubal threw his first pitch, the weather report read 48 degrees with light rain, but the real feel temperate sat at 40 degrees because of the severe wind in Detroit.

The Tigers rode the momentum of another strong start from Skubal en route to an 8-2 win over the Twins in the first of four games in the series at Comerica Park. The rain dispersed in the early innings, but the real feel temp hovered around 40 degrees throughout the game.

The Tigers (8-4) provided Skubal with a one-run lead in the first inning on Mark Canha's solo home run, and that's all the ace needed. He completed five scoreless innings on two hits and two walks with five strikeouts, throwing 93 pitches.

Skubal threw a 99.6 mph fastball — the second fastest pitch of his career — for a swinging strikeout in the first inning, stranded three runners in laborious third and fourth innings, and finished his third start of the season by striking out two batters in a clean fifth inning.

The final four innings were covered by three relievers: right-hander Alex Faedo in the sixth and seventh innings, left-hander Andrew Chafin in the eighth inning and right-hander Will Vest in the ninth inning. Vest gave up both runs to the Twins on two doubles, one walk and one single in the ninth.

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Skubal wasn't an easy matchup for the Twins, but the Tigers didn't have an easy matchup either.

Right-hander Pablo López, who finished seventh in American League Cy Young voting last season, allowed five runs on six hits and three walks with seven strikeouts in four-plus innings, throwing 98 pitches.

The Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, when Canha turned on López's up-and-in sinker for a solo home run to left field. Canha, whom the Tigers acquired in an offseason trade, hit 11 home runs in 139 games last season, but he already has three homers in 12 games this season.

A two-out single from Kerry Carpenter kept the inning alive, only for Carpenter to run into an out to end the inning. Colt Keith hit a single to shallow center field; Byron Buxton, a center fielder with a strong arm, charged and fielded the ball. It was Carpenter's play to read while running the bases. Third base coach Joey Cora wasn't waving him to third base, nor was he signaling for Carpenter to retreat.

Carpenter saw Buxton field the ball and decided to round second base.

He was thrown out easily at third base.

Pablo López chased

An insurance run in the fourth inning created a 2-0 advantage.

With one out, Gio Urshela reached safely on a throwing error by shortstop Willi Castro (replacing Carlos Correa, who suffered a right oblique strain), but regardless of the accuracy of the throw, Torkelson scored from third base.

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López was chased by the Tigers in the fifth inning, as four consecutive batters reached safely: Jake Rogers (walk), Riley Greene (RBI double), Canha (walk) and Torkelson (RBI single). Greene picked a down-and-in sinker in a two-strike count for a double to the left-center field; Torkelson ripped a down-and-away fastball for a ground-ball single into right field.

The single from Torkelson led to a pitching change.

But the Tigers didn't back off the Twins.

Left-handed reliever Kody Funderburk replaced López and inherited runners on the corners with nobody out in the fifth inning. The Tigers countered by pinch-hitting Matt Vierling, a right-handed hitter, for Kerry Carpenter, a left-handed hitter, to gain a favorable matchup. The plan worked, as Vierling drove in another run for a 5-0 lead with a single to right field.

Funderburk struck out the next three batters — Keith, Urshela and Parker Meadows — to end the three-run fifth inning.

Meadows, hitting .069 in 12 games, finished 0-for-4 with four strikeouts; Keith, a fellow rookie, went 1-for-5 with three strikeouts; Báez, owed $98 million over the next four seasons, ended 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.

Canha, who blasted the homer in the first inning, put the Tigers ahead, 6-0, with an RBI single off right-handed reliever Michael Tonkin in the sixth inning. It became 7-0 on Torkelson's infield single.

Vierling drove in Wenceel Pérez — who reached safely for the first time in his MLB career with a walk against right-handed reliever Jay Jackson — on a double to the left-center gap for an 8-0 lead in the eighth inning.

Tarik Skubal battles

Skubal cruised through the first, second and fifth innings, but he had to battle in the other two innings.

With two outs in the third inning, Edouard Julien singled on a ground ball that shortstop Javier Báez couldn't hold onto after making the transfer from his glove. Then, Skubal walked Manuel Margo on six pitches. He responded to a mound visit from pitching coach Chris Fetter by striking out Correa on four pitches, painting a down-and-in changeup to the called-third strikeout.

It was a 25-pitch third inning.

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With two outs in the fourth inning, Jose Miranda singled on a ground ball to Báez. Báez bounced the throw to first base, but Torkelson — rather than stretching for the bouncer — awkwardly pulled his foot off the base and fielded the ball into his stomach while standing in the running lane. Torkelson and Miranda collided near first base, but Torkelson never touched the bag. Then, Skubal walked Kyle Farmer on five pitches. He responded to another uncharacteristic walk by getting Austin Martin to ground out.

It was a 31-pitch fourth inning.

Skubal struck out two of the three batters he faced in a much-quicker fifth inning to wrap up his outing. He generated seven whiffs (on 40 swings) with three fastballs and four changeups.

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

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' Tarik Skubal gets run support in 8-2 win over Twins