Final Score: Tigers 4, Phillies 1
On paper, Tuesday night’s Phillies-Tigers game promised to be a pitcher’s duel. Ranger Suárez — tied for the major-league lead with 10 wins and owner of the lowest starter’s ERA in baseball (1.75) — was on the mound for the Phillies. Opposing him was Tarik Skubal, who brought a 2.50 ERA across 15 starts into the game.
The pair of left-handers matched each other through four innings. Suárez scattered three hits — all singles — while striking out three batters. Skubal allowed just two hits and worked himself out of two jams — both with runners on second and third — through four.
Skubal then worked a scoreless top of the fifth. In the bottom of the frame, Suárez didn’t match his fellow left-hander. He allowed four runs on five hits. The Phillies starter faced eight batters in the inning and fired 26 pitches before getting out of it.
Suárez allowed a leadoff, two-strike single to start the bottom of the fifth. Two singles later — one of which Trea Turner mishandled in the infield — and the bases were loaded for Matt Vierling. Suárez got the Tigers center fielder to hit a ball into the ground toward shortstop, but it was hit too softly to turn a double play, so Turner fired the ball to first for an out, allowing a run to score.
Now 1-0 Tigers, Andy Ibáñez singled into center field with two runners in scoring position, both of which scored on the play. Two batters later, Riley Greene hit a ball down the first-base line that skipped over Bryce Harper’s glove and reached the right-field corner. Greene tripled and drove in a run on the play. Suárez then induced a groundout to end the inning, but the damage was done.
Handed a 4-0 lead, Skubal returned to work, shutting down the Phillies’ offense in order in the sixth and seventh innings. Detroit’s starter’s final line consisted of seven innings pitched, three hits, no runs, one walk and seven strikeouts. Suarez’s night was done after six innings. He was charged with four earned runs on nine hits with four strikeouts.
A leadoff home run by Harper in the ninth made it a 4-1 game, but Tigers reliever Jason Foley then retired the next three batters he faced to end the game.
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