Story by
Detroit Tigers burned by rookie flamethrower Paul Skenes in 10-2 loss to Pittsburgh Pirates
- Story by
- Detroit Tigers burned by rookie flamethrower Paul Skenes in 10-2 loss to Pittsburgh Pirates
Paul Skenes is the real deal.
Skenes, the 2023 No. 1 overall pick, showed up to Comerica Park with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday — his 22nd birthday — for the fourth start of his MLB career, facing the Detroit Tigers .
Advertisement
The famed flamethrower burned the Tigers .
And the Tigers lost to the Pirates, 10-2, in Game 2 of Wednesday's doubleheader.
The Tigers (27-28) couldn't build upon their four-game winning streak, primarily as a result of tallying just four hits, but they still finished with a 4-2 record during their six-game homestand against the Toronto Blue Jays and Pirates.
GAME 1: Tarik Skubal, Matt Vierling team up in Tigers' 8-0 win over Pittsburgh Pirates
Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes throws a pitch against the Tigers in the second inning in Game 2 of a doubleheader on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, at Comerica Park.
Skenes allowed two runs on three hits and one walk with nine strikeouts in six innings, throwing 96 pitches. The former LSU standout owns a 2.45 ERA with five walks and 30 strikeouts across 22 innings in four starts.
Advertisement
His fastball averaged 99.2 mph and maxed out at 100.5 mph.
The Tigers scored their first of two runs off Skenes in the second inning. Mark Canha walked on eight pitches, Colt Keith hit an outside changeup for a ground-ball single, and Akil Baddoo tagged a down-and-away fastball for a sacrifice fly to center field.
The sac fly from Baddoo put the Tigers ahead, 1-0.
[ MUST LISTEN: Make "Days of Roar" your go-to Detroit Tigers podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts ( Apple , Spotify ) ]
The Tigers didn't score again until the sixth inning.
That's when Matt Vierling crushed his fourth pull-side home run in the past two games. (He also hit a homer in Game 1 of Wednesday's doubleheader, which ended in an 8-0 win .) Facing Skenes, Vierling jumped a first-pitch middle-down slider for a solo home run to left-center field, trimming the Tigers' deficit to 5-2.
Advertisement
Vierling, who finished 1-for-4 with two strikeouts, is hitting .289 with seven home runs and an .823 OPS in 49 games this season. He hit .261 with 10 homers in 134 games last season.
Otherwise, Skenes was dominant throughout his six-inning performance. His splitter, which he throws at 94 mph, generated 11 of his 19 whiffs, while his 99 mph fastball picked up an additional seven whiffs.
Skenes, the most recent No. 1 overall pick, recorded four strikeouts in his first six outs.
He struck out 2020 No. 1 overall pick Spencer Torkelson twice, with a down-and-in 96 mph splitter in the second inning and an up-and-away 98.4 mph fastball in the fifth inning. Torkelson also struck out swinging in the seventh inning on a down-and-away splitter from left-handed reliever Aroldis Chapman .
Advertisement
Torkelson finished 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in Game 2, after going 0-for-4 with one strikeout in Game 1.
Keider Montero makes MLB debut
Right-hander Keider Montero joined the Tigers as the 27th player for Wednesday's doubleheader, making his MLB debut. The 23-year-old had a 4.40 ERA with 17 walks and 36 strikeouts across 30⅔ innings in nine starts with Triple-A Toledo.
He looked composed in his first MLB start.
Tigers pitcher Keider Montero throws a pitch in the first inning against the Pirates in Game 2 of a doubleheader on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, at Comerica Park.
Montero allowed four runs on five hits and one walk with five strikeouts in 4⅓ innings, throwing 87 pitches. He relied on a heavy mix of fastballs and sliders against the Pirates, while also using some changeups and curveballs.
Advertisement
For the first strikeout of his career, Montero struck out Nick Gonzales on a full-count slider at the top of the strike zone with one out in the second inning.
Before that, Montero retired the first three batters in the first inning: Andrew McCutchen (groundout), Bryan Reynolds (lineout) and Connor Joe (pop out).
The Pirates flipped the scoreboard in the third inning, when McCutchen drilled an elevated fastball for a three-run home run to left-center field. The Pirates extended their lead to 4-1 with Gonzales' solo home run on Montero's elevated curveball to open the fourth inning.
Montero walked a batter — McCutchen — for the first time with one out in the fifth inning, ending his start. He threw a season-high 87 pitches, generating 10 whiffs on 41 swings with three fastballs, five sliders, one changeup and one curveball.
Advertisement
Bullpen blows again
The Tigers surrendered an additional five runs after Montero's departure.
Left-handed reliever Joey Wentz replaced Montero with one out in the fifth inning and exited with one out in the seventh inning. He allowed three runs on two hits and two walks with three strikeouts, throwing 37 pitches.
Right-handed reliever Will Vest cleaned up Wentz's mess, then gave way to left-handed reliever Andrew Chafin in the eighth inning. Chafin gave up one run on three hits, but he escaped further trouble by striking out three batters in his 21-pitch appearance.
The Pirates took an 10-2 lead with two runs off right-handed reliever Beau Brieske in the ninth inning.
Advertisement
McCutchen finished 3-for-4 with a single, double, home run, walk and four RBIs.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on demand at freep.com, Apple , Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers burned by Pittsburgh Pirates' Paul Skenes in 10-2 loss
