Record: 31-28 (W1)
W: John Schreiber (2-2, 3.52 ERA)
L: Beau Brieske (1-2, 4.95 ERA)
S: Carlos Estévez (16, 1.78 ERA)
Is this the most unsurprising outcome ever? A 1-0 game versus the best pitcher on the planet?
Tarik Skubal is currently in possession of the left arm of God, coming off one of the best complete game shutouts ever thrown earlier in the week. He didn’t completely curbstomp and dominate the Royals, but he did throw seven scoreless innings, walked none and struck out seven. It was another ace-like performance from the defending Cy Young, who now boasts a 2.26 ERA.
On the other side of the bump was Michael Wacha, who slots as Kansas City’s #3 starter but may only rank 4th (or even 5th if you really feel that strongly about Noah Cameron) talent-wise. He also threw seven scoreless innings, but unlike Skubal, Wacha nursed a no-hitter into the seventh inning. Even if it was broken up, he still pitched the full seventh with help from Nick Loftin.
Wacha’s signature changeup seemed to take on a different form, whether it was a new pitch entirely or just a modification of the usual. Either way, it helped him get more than half of his whiffs today. His 4-seam only registered one whiff on 19 swings, so Wacha probably needed all he could get with his money pitch. A Colt Keith single and Gleyber Torres walk were the only blemishes on an otherwise perfect start from the veteran.
The 8th inning had its quirks going up and down. John Schreiber was relied upon for this inning and he pitched well–so well that he was able to strike out hitters multiple times in one at bat! It required a lot of unnecessary effort, but it was an otherwise remarkable appearance that kept the Tigers at bay and the Royals took advantage.
Skubal may not have been at full stamina for this game thanks to his previous start, which means AJ Hinch went to the bullpen with his ace at just 90 pitches through seven innings. Beau Brieske got a first pitch flyout to Drew Waters, but left a meatball over the plate for Nick Loftin to smash into the left field fence. Matt Quatraro had Vinnie Pasquantino batting seventh in this game with Skubal starting, and this ended up being the perfect batting order, as Vinnie would find an easy outside pitch to hit and drive in Nick. A stress-free Carlos Estévez appearance sealed the deal; it’s his 16th save of the year and 8th consecutive scoreless appearance.
The next game starts tomorrow, Sunday, June 1st at 1:10 PM. Keider Montero is the probable starter for Detroit while Kris Bubic is in line to make his next start for Kansas City. Montero is in his second year of Major League Baseball and has a 4.54 ERA through five starts. Kris Bubic is looking to continue an immense breakout season with his 1.45 ERA being the lowest in baseball.
Image Credit: Colin E. Braley (AP Photo)
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