SEATTLE (AP — Tarik Skubal allowed two runs over seven innings, Parker Meadows made a homer-saving catch in the eighth inning and the Detroit Tigers beat the Seattle Mariners 6-2 on Wednesday night.
“It was a huge play, a game-changer,” Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said. “When the ball is hit to center, I feel settled because you feel like Parker is going to make (the catch).”
Skubal (13-4) was overpowering in stretches. The 27-year-old left-hander allowed three hits, struck out nine and continued to strengthen his resume in the AL Cy Young Award conversation.
But Meadows' catch will be the lasting image of the game as Seattle fell out of first place in the AL West, slipping a half-game behind Houston.
With two outs in the bottom of the eighth and Seattle trailing 3-2, Cal Raleigh drove Jason Foley’s slider to deep center field. Meadows tracked the ball, timed his jump perfectly and was well above the top of the wall when the ball dropped into his glove.
“My job was to get to the wall and get to a spot, look up and find it,” Meadows said. “In that situation, it is pretty cool. You saw the emotions; I don’t do that very often.”
Raleigh homered in the fourth inning, with Randy Arozarena aboard, for the only blemish on Skubal’s otherwise terrific outing.
Skubal, who pitched collegiately a couple of miles away at Seattle University, retired the first 10 batters he faced and moved into a tie with three other pitchers for the most wins in baseball.
“It is always fun for me to throw here,” Skubal said. “I (have) to try and not make the game bigger than it already is. I enjoy it.”
Wenceel Pérez led off the game with a home run and Jake Rogers added a solo shot in the fourth inning. Matt Vierling and Gio Urshela had RBI singles in the ninth inning as the Tigers scored three times on the heels of Meadows' catch.
Seattle's George Kirby labored to get through five innings, throwing 97 pitches, 65 for strikes. Kirby (8-8) struck out seven and gave up three runs.
“It is one of those games where you got to keep it close,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said. “We did everything right, they just made a play. It happens in the major leagues every once in a while. (Meadows) made an outstanding play.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Tigers: RHP Casey Mize (hamstring) will throw a couple innings in a rehab start with Triple-A Toledo on Thursday, and his pitch efficiency will be monitored, according to Hinch. … OF Riley Greene (hamstring) is still not running bases and Hinch said a rehab assignment is “not imminent.” … OF Kerry Carpenter (lumbar spine stress fracture) went 1 for 4 in his rehab start with Triple-A Toledo, and Hinch said he came out “fine” from the game.
Mariners: OF Julio Rodriguez was doing outfield work with the rest of the team on Wednesday. Servais declined comment on the subject until he spoke with the trainer.
ROSTER MOVE
Mariners: Seattle recalled INF Ryan Bliss from Triple-A Tacoma on Wednesday. Bliss returns to the Mariners after hitting .220 with seven RBIs in 31 games. In a corresponding move, OF Cade Marlowe was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma.
UP NEXT
Seattle will throw RHP Bryan Woo (5-1, 2.08 ERA) in the series finale against Detroit on Thursday. The Tigers have not made a decision on Thursday’s starter.
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