Skubal, Tigers collapse; caught by Guardians in AL Central - ESPN

CLEVELAND — It happened fast. And without a ball even leaving the infield. The Detroit Tigers took a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the sixth inning in a crucial game against the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday only to see their ace fall apart on the mound in several different and dramatic ways.

«We did a lot of uncharacteristic things, and it's hurting us,» Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said after the Tigers' 5-2 loss.

First, Tarik Skubal tried to flip a bunted ball through his legs with his back to first base, only to see it sail over teammate Spencer Torkelson's head, putting runners on second and third. It was the second of two consecutive bunts by the Guardians, who came into the night trailing the Tigers by just one game after being down as many as 10 1/2 on Sept.1.

After a third bunt in the inning went awry — Skubal's 99 mph fastball struck designated hitter David Fry in the face, and he had to be carted off — Skubal threw a wild pitch and then balked. Both of those led to runs.

Game. Set. Match. The Tigers have been caught in the AL Central.

«There's some frustration,» Skubal said. «Losing isn't fun, and we've been losing a lot.»

Hinch added: «He chose to do the emergency flip [through his legs], which is not easy to do and didn't produce a good play. That is an example of an uncharacteristic mistake piling up on us at the worst time.»

That's an understatement. The American League's best team in the first half has fallen hard, losers of seven in a row. Not only did the Guardians catch Detroit in the standings but they also secured the tiebreaker, in case the teams match records when the regular season ends later this weekend. Nothing is going right for the Tigers.

«We didn't play our game tonight,» catcher Dillon Dingler