NEW YORK (AP) — Tarik Skubal pitched six innings of one-hit ball and Riley Greene hit two of Detroit’s four homers off Cam Schlittler as the Tigers beat the Yankees 9-3 on Tuesday night and sent New York to its season-worst sixth straight loss.
The Tigers hit five homers overall against the Yankees for the first time since Aug. 30, 2018.
Skubal (4-4), making his fourth start since returning from elbow surgery, allowed only Ben Rice’s 23rd homer in the first inning and an unearned run in the sixth. The two-time defending AL Cy Young Award winner struck out nine and walked none after allowing four runs to the Yankees last week in Detroit.
Skubal threw 61 of 87 pitches for strikes and retired 12 straight after Rice’s homer in the first.
Greene hit a solo shot during a four-run first inning off Schlittler (8-5) and added a two-run drive in the third for a 6-1 lead. It was Greene’s eighth career multi-homer game.
Before Greene’s first homer, Kerry Carpenter hit a solo shot in which center fielder Spencer Jones could not complete a leaping catch at the right-center field fence and saw the ball pop out of his glove into the Yankees’ bullpen.
Spencer Torkelson hit a two-run homer to cap a 10-pitch at-bat in which he fouled off six pitches.
Schlittler allowed a career-high six runs runs and seven hits in four-plus innings. The hard-throwing right-hander had his ERA climb from 1.62 to 2.08.
Schlittler allowed four homers after allowing six homers in his first 17 starts. He had never allowed more than two in any start and became the first Yankees pitcher to allow four homers to the Tigers since Chuck Cary in 1989 at Tiger Stadium.
Detroit’s James Outman hit a three-run homer in the sixth off Ryan Yarbrough after second baseman José Caballero committed a throwing error on a force play.
New York has managed just 16 hits in its last five games.
Up next
Detroit RHP Troy Melton (4-1, 2.39 ERA) opposes New York RHP Will Warren (7-3, 3.75) in the series finale on Wednesday afternoon.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Larry Fleisher, The Associated Press
