Tarik Skubal energizes Detroit Tigers but can't save them in 6-1 loss to Toronto Blue Jays

Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal unleashed one of his trademark roars after escaping the bases loaded and one out in the sixth inning Saturday, July 26, against the Toronto Blue Jays.

He pumped his fist into his glove.

He backpedaled off the mound.

And he screamed an expletive.

Skubal energized the Tigers in Saturday's game, but he couldn't save them from their losing ways. The Tigers lost, 6-1, to the Blue Jays in the third of four games in the series at Comerica Park – their 12th loss in 13 games.

The Tigers (60-46) gave up go-ahead run in the eighth inning, when Bo Bichette hit a two-run single off right-handed reliever Will Vest. Meanwhile, the Tigers' offense was limited to two hits and one walk.

In the eighth, the Blue Jays tallied three hits in four at-bats against Vest, including back-to-back singles from Joey Loperfido and George Springer.

A wild pitch by Vest put two runners in scoring position.

Although Vest got Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to ground out, Bichette delivered the biggest hit of the game — pushing Vest's middle-in sinker the opposite way through a pulled-in infield for a ground-ball single into right field, scoring both runners.

That's how the Blue Jays grabbed a 2-0 lead.

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The Blue Jays didn't need to score more than one run, but they took the lead on a two-run single in the eighth inning and posted four more runs in the ninth.

To make it a 6-0 lead, Nathan Lukes hit a two-run home run, George Springer hit a solo home run and Guerrero hit a solo home run — all off right-handed reliever Chase Lee, whose ERA has climbed from 2.05 to 4.21 in his past six relief appearances.

The Blue Jays finished with 12 hits.

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Tarik Skubal and Matt Vierling

The Blue Jays had seven baserunners across the fourth, fifth and sixth innings against Skubal.

None of them scored.

In the sixth, Skubal escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam, but not without help from center fielder Matt Vierling. He threw out Springer, who didn't slide, on a throw to catcher Jake Rogers for the second out. For the third out, Skubal struck out Addison Barger with a 100.5 mph sinker.

Skubal celebrated the clutch strikeout by screaming, backpedaling and swearing.

The 28-year-old tossed six scoreless innings on five hits and three walks with seven strikeouts, throwing 96 pitches. He entered the sixth at 61 pitches, but a 35-pitch inning — including a 13-pitch walk to Bichette — kept him from returning for the seventh.

Skubal owns a 2.09 ERA in 21 starts.

Kevin Gausman shoves

Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman dominated.

He completed six scoreless innings on one hit and one walk with 10 strikeouts, throwing 96 pitches.

The three baserunners: Rogers hit a single in the third inning, Colt Keith drew a walk in the fourth inning, and Gleyber Torres reached safely on a fielding error in the sixth inning..

Riley Greene finished 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, but the Tigers scored their only run on his groundout in the ninth inning after Rogers singled and advanced two bases on defensive indifference.

In his past 19 games, Greene is hitting .167 (12-for-72) with four home runs, four walks and 35 strikeouts — dating back to Game 2 of the July 2 doubleheader against the Washington Nationals.

Greene leads MLB with 141 strikeouts in 103 games.

Contact Evan Petzold at [email protected] or follow him @EvanPetzold.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers drop 6th straight, 6-1, to Blue Jays despite Skubal gem