The Detroit Tigers are one win closer to a playoff appearance.
The Tigers shut down Tampa Bay Rays, 2-1, on Tuesday to kick off the final six-game stretch looking for the first playoff appearance since 2014. The Tigers took the lead thanks to a two-run Wenceel Pérez double in the fifth inning while Tarik Skubal delivered another gem in seven scoreless innings. Beau Brieske got the final six outs and shook off a solo home run in the ninth to finish the save.
The Tigers (83-74) now have a 1½-game lead over the Twins and a half-game lead over the Royals. The Twins play the Miami Marlins at 7:40 and the Royals play the Nationals at 6:45.
The Tigers started Skubal, the American League Cy Young favorite, and the Rays rolled with the right-handed Ryan Pepiot, who gave up the game's only two runs.
Check out the game recap from the Tigers-Rays series opener at Comerica Park.
Detroit Tigers vs. Tampa Bay Rays game recap, highlights
Things got a little nervy late, but Brieske closed out the Rays to move the Tigers one game closer to the playoffs.
Brieske gave up a two-out solo home run to Brandon Lowe with two outs in the ninth, but rebounded to strike out Josh Lowe on a changeup. The Tigers now have a 1½-game lead over the Twins and a half-game lead over the Royals.
The Tigers could not add any insurance runs in the later innings but also kept the Rays bats' in check.
Rays reliever Mason Montgomery struck out six straight Tigers' batters in the seventh and eighth innings, and Beau Brieske responded with a scoreless eighth inning of his own that featured two strikeouts. Brieske is staying on the mound to start the 9th with closer Jason Foley also available if needed.
Tarik Skubal continues to deliver when it matters most for the Tigers.
Skubal is done for the day after throwing seven scoreless innings on 103 pitches. He ended his day with a 1-2-3 inning with inducing a Johnny DeLuca lineout, a Junior Caminero and striking out Christopher Morel with a 97.1 mph fastball on the outer edge on his final pitch. Skubal stood on the mound and let out a primal roar as Comerica Park gave the ace a standing ovation. He gave up two hits, one walk and struck out seven in what could be his final regular-season start.
Pérez got the best of Ryan Pepiot at the end of a nine-pitch battle with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Pérez fouled off three pitches, watched a ball just off the outside corner, then slapped an inside cutter down the right field line that bounced over the fence to score two runs.
The Tigers loaded the bases with a series of great at-bats, capped off by Pérez. Trey Sweeney kicked things off with a one-out walk, followed by a Jake Rogers single and Parker Meadows walk to juice the bases. Meadows had two check-swings that were near strikeouts but held up enough both times to keep the inning alive.
The Tigers ace brought his best stuff.
Skubal has thrown 73 pitches through five innings with two hits allowed, one walk and six strikeouts. He rung up Christopher Morel with a 96.7 mph fastball at the top of the zone to kick off the inning, then stranded a runner striking out Jose Siri with another high fastball at 97.1 mph.
Ryan Pepiot is dealing early. The Rays' starter has only allowed one baserunner on a first-inning walk to Wenceel Pérez, but has been perfect outside of that. He has struck out five of the 10 batters faced by utilizing an effective fastball-changeup combination.
Thankfully for Detroit, Tarik Skubal also came out dealing. Skubal has allowed two baserunners on a single and walk, but mowed down everyone else. Through three innings, he has four strikeouts on 46 pitches.
The Tigers' main battery is responsible for the first highlight. After giving up the first hit of the game, Tarik Skubal froze Ben Rortvedt with a 95 mph sinker at the knees for a strikeout at 3-2, and Jake Rogers rifled a strike to second to catch a stealing José Caballero. Caballero had the first hit with a single to center field.
Mother nature is bouncing around the start time. After originally being scheduled for 6:40 p.m. then moved up to 1:10 because of weather concerns, the Tigers had to delay Skubal's first pitch until 2 p.m. The tarp is off now with an overcast sky hanging over downtown.
Pregame notes
To beat out the Minnesota Twins and to make the playoffs, the Tigers' magic number is 6 , meaning they need a combination of six wins or losses from the team behind them in the standings — in this case, the Twins — to reach the postseason. The Tigers (82-74) have a one-game lead over the Twins (81-75), a 1½-game lead over the Seattle Mariners, and are tied with the Kansas City Royals for the second AL wild-card spot (with the Royals holding the tiebreaker).
The Tigers must finish one game ahead of the Twins or Royals, who hold the tiebreaker after winning the season series with Detroit 7-6.
The Tigers enter the stretch as one of the hottest teams in baseball with a 13-5-record and five straight series wins in September. A combination of elite pitching and clutch hitting with manager A.J. Hinch pulling the right strings has put them in a strong position. And the Tigers pushed the chips in even further Monday by calling up MLB's top pitching prospect, Jackson Jobe , to join the bullpen for the postseason hunt.
Jared Ramsey is a sports reporter for the Detroit Free Press covering the city's professional teams, the state's two flagship universities and more. Follow Jared on X @jared_ramsey22 , and email him at jramsey@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers vs. Tampa Bay Rays score: Game recap, highlights from 2-1 win
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