​DETROIT (AP) — Tarik Skubal delivered nine strikeouts over five innings and Colt Keith belted a two-run homer to help the Detroit Tigers prevail 6-2 against the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday night. Skubal improved to 5-4, striking out the side in the first inning for the second time in his career before exiting after throwing 96 pitches. He yielded five hits and issued two walks, with his lone blemish coming on Henry Bolte’s third homer of the season—a leadoff shot in the third that pulled the A’s within 2-1.
Kevin McGonigle, who is bound for the All-Star Game as a rookie, drew an eight-pitch walk from J.T. Ginn (7-5) to open the first. Keith then belted Ginn’s next offering for his seventh homer, giving Detroit a lead they would not relinquish. The Tigers, now 41-50 on the season, have won three straight and six of their last seven.
Kyle Finnegan worked a clean sixth inning after Skubal, and Drew Anderson allowed Shea Langeliers’ RBI single for an unearned run in the seventh. Jacob Waguespack finished the game with two perfect innings. Ginn departed after four innings, having surrendered two runs on two hits, with Jacob Lopez taking over.
Detroit opened up the scoring with a four-run sixth after Lopez retired the first two hitters. Zach McKinstry led off the rally with a walk, and Spencer Torkelson singled to put runners on the corners. McKinstry scored when pinch hitter Ben Melgeri’s pop-up in shallow right field fell between two Athletics fielders for a critical two-base error, allowing the ball to drop and set up a run-scoring opportunity. Matt Vierling then delivered a two-run double, driving in Keith and McGonigle’s RBI single for a 6-1 cushion.
Lopez ended his night charged with four runs on five hits for Oakland, who have now dropped four straight and eight of nine. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch announced before the game that the club had parted ways with third-base coach Joey Cora over “philosophical differences.”
Looking ahead, Oakland LHP Jeffrey Springs (3-8, 5.79) is scheduled to start Wednesday against Detroit RHP Troy Melton (4-1, 2.05).