An All-Star pitching matchup will provide more intrigue to a showdown of American League division leaders in Detroit on Tuesday.
The Houston Astros’ Hunter Brown and the Detroit Tigers’ Tarik Skubal are scheduled to start in the middle game of a three-game series.
Detroit clubbed four homers while rolling to a 10-0 win in the series opener on Monday, the Tigers’ fifth victory in six games. The Astros have lost their past two games by a combined score of 22-0.
Brown (10-5, 2.45 ERA) has followed up an uneven July with three sharp starts in August. This month, he has allowed four runs and 14 hits in 19 innings with five walks and 15 strikeouts. He collected his 10th win on Wednesday, holding the Boston Red Sox to one run in 6 2/3 innings.
Brown also limited the Red Sox to one run in seven innings in his first start of August.
“Hunter sets the tone on the mound, and I thought (Wednesday) he really adjusted his game plan,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “When you see a team (12) days ago and now all of a sudden you see them again, a really good offensive team, I thought he had his curveball working (Wednesday). Adding that to his game plan was a game-changer.”
Brown walked three and struck out four in the rematch.
“I tried to execute and tried to mix a little bit more,” he said. “I kind of made it tough on (catcher Yainer Diaz). I didn’t have my greatest command (Wednesday). Obviously, I walked some guys and stuff like that. We had to try to use what worked and try to navigate us through the game.”
Games at Detroit’s Comerica Park are always special for Brown. He grew up in St. Clair Shores, Mich., and attended Detroit’s Wayne State.
He has been stingy against the team he rooted for growing up, producing a 3-0 record and a 2.93 ERA in five career appearances (four starts).
Skubal remains the favorite to win his second consecutive AL Cy Young Award, but each of his last three opponents posted a three-run inning. The Minnesota Twins did that in the third inning of his latest start, but Skubal didn’t give up any other runs during his seven-inning stint in a no-decision on Thursday.
Skubal also didn’t put away batters at his normal rate — he struck out only three, his lowest total since a two-strikeout outing against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the season opener.
“Just kind of fighting myself a little bit,” he said. “Physically but probably mentally, too. I said some things to myself that I won’t say on camera. But I went out and tried to be aggressive and tried to compete. I just feel like I haven’t been executing pitches at the clip I’m accustomed to, and that’s frustrating.”
There was nothing wrong with his fastball velocity.
“In between innings he’s talking to our guys and we’re trying to find the unlock, we’re trying to find the cues that get him going,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “Then you look up and it’s 99 mph and 100 mph.”
Skubal is 1-1 with a 3.16 ERA in four career starts against the Astros.
–Field Level Media
