ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) Tarik Skubal struck out nine over six scoreless innings, Mark Canha and Parker Meadows homered, and the Detroit Tigers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-1 on Monday night.
The Tigers improved to 9-3 on the road this season.
Skubal (3-0) scattered three hits in winning his seventh consecutive decision, dating to last September. The left-hander is 2-0 in four starts against the Rays. allowing two earned runs over 17 1/3 innings.
“When he’s dominant in the strike zone, and he gets them in swing mode, and you given him the lead, it just gives him a leash to pitch aggressively to the strike zone,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said,
Skubal lowered his ERA from 2.28 to 1.82. This was his first career start of six or more scoreless innings, nine or more strikeouts and no walks.
“I thought my mix was pretty good" said Skubal, who threw 58 of 86 pitches for strikes. “I felt like I was pretty aggressive.”
José Caballero homered in the eighth inning off Shelby Miller as the Rays have lost three of four and six of 10. Tampa Bay had one runner reach second base against Skubal.
“For a team that's trying to get their offense going, which we are, he's probably not the guy you want to face," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “Pretty electric fastball.”
Canha hit a solo homer in the first inning and Javier Báez had an RBI single off Zack Littell (1-1) in a two-run second as the Tigers grabbed a 3-0 lead.
“We got him a little lead and he’s pitching downhill,” Canha said of Skubal. “It's a good combo for us,”
Canha had a run-scoring single during a two-run fifth and Meadows connected on a solo drive in the sixth that made it 6-0.
“They were aggressive,” Cash said. “They just had good at-bats throughout.”
Tampa Bay has given up 22 homers in 15 home games.
Littell gave up six runs - five earned - and eight hits in six innings. He had seven strikeouts.
Tampa Bay's Amed Rosario extended his career-high hitting streak to 14 games with a single in the first.
Rays 2023 All-Star Randy Arozarena continues to struggle at the plate and saw his batting average drop eight points to .149 after going 0 for 4. The outfielder is 8 for 73 (.110) in April. TRAINER’S ROOM
Rays: CF Jose Siri (kidney stone) was in the lineup after being examined at a hospital on Sunday. ... Closer Pete Fairbanks (nerve-related issues) was placed on the 15-day IL after experiencing discomfort in his fingers while playing catch over the weekend. ... RHP Taj Bradley (right pectoral strain) is scheduled to start a rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham on Sunday.
UP NEXT
Tigers RHP Kenta Maeda (0-1, 7.64 ERA) will go against Rays RHP Ryan Pepiot (2-2, 4.37 ERA) on Tuesday night.
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