Takeaways: Boston Red Sox Series Against Detroit Tigers Evened After 2-1 Game Two Loss

The Boston Red Sox were unable to manufacture any offense against the Detroit Tigers after their one first-inning run and a two-run second inning for Detroit was all they needed to take the win.

Nick Pivetta hurled six strong innings and Jarren Duran picked up two hits but Tarik Skubal's stellar season continued in the Boston loss.

What are the main takeaways from Boston's game two loss to Detroit?

Nick Pivetta avoided the blowup inning

As with most of his starts, Nick Pivetta allowed a decent amount of baserunners; but tonight he was able to keep them from scoring for the most part. He allowed two earned runs in six innings and one of those potentially wouldn't have scored if not for a Rob Refsnyder misplay.

Pivetta tacked on six strikeouts instead of just one walk and delivered a solid outing overall. Unfortunately for him, he had to match up against arguably the best pitcher in MLB.

Tarik Skubal made the Red Sox lineup look silly

Whether it's surface stats, analytics, or the eye test, Tigers Starting Pitcher Tarik Skubal profiles as the likely AL Cy Young winner and a top-two pitcher in baseball. Aside from a solo home run by Tyler O'Neill in the first inning, it was tough sledding for Boston all night.

Skubal held the Red Sox to loads of soft contact and rarely even got into anything close to high-stress scenarios. The struggles for Danny Jansen and Refsnyder among others continued through this game and they will have to attempt to bounce back in the last game.

Game Three is a must-win

When looking at the three-game series against the Tigers, this game stuck out quite clearly as the "obvious" loss. Still needing a big run to push themselves back into a playoff spot, the rubber match has become an incredibly important matchup.

The pitchers for the game are still to be determined, but the Red Sox will need to continue to throw out all the stops to keep their place in the playoff race and maintain their season's hopes.

The Red Sox are now 70-66 on the season.

Game 3

The second game of the Boston Red Sox series against the Detroit Tigers is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon at 1:40 PM EST at Comerica Park, televised on NESN.