Detroit Tigers beat Kansas City Royals 4-2, earn Skubal's 17th win
Tarik Skubal allowed three hits over five innings for his 17th win, and the streaking Detroit Tigers beat the Kansas City Royals 4-2 on Wednesday night to move within a half-game of a playoff spot with 10 games remaining.
Riley Greene hit a go-ahead home run as the Tigers (80-73) won their fourth straight and ninth in the last 11 games. With the series sweep, Detroit won for the 25th time in 35 games to move within a half-game of Minnesota (80-72) for the third AL wild-card spot.
Skubal (17-4), who has won his last five decisions, made his case for the AL Cy Young Award stronger by matching Atlanta's Chris Sale for the major league lead in wins and lowered his AL-leading earned run average to 2.48. He walked one and struck out seven.
Skubal had struggled against the Royals in the past, entering Wednesday with a 2-9 record and 5.05 ERA in 12 starts over 14 appearances. After allowing three hits and Yuli Gurriel's two-out RBI single in the first inning, he threw four hitless innings.
The Royals (82-71), who lost their fourth straight, were swept for the first time at home this season and the third time overall. They remained 2 1/2 games behind Baltimore for the first wild-card spot and 1 1/2 games ahead of Minnesota for the second wild card. The Orioles and Twins both lost earlier on Wednesday.
Skubal struck out major league batting leader Bobby Witt Jr. twice before hitting him with a pitch in the fifth. Witt, who became the first player in major league history with multiple seasons of 30 home runs and 30 steals in his first three seasons Tuesday, broke Hal McRae's 1977 franchise record with his 87th extra-base hit of the season with a bloop double to lead off the eighth.
Salvador Perez, who finished with two hits, then drove in Witt with a single off reliever Brenan Hanifee. Sean Guenther preserved the 4-2 lead with a double play and a flyout. Guenther got the first out of the ninth, and Will Vest got the final two for his second save.
Royals starter Alec Marsh (8-9), coming off a career-high 11 strikeouts in his last start, lasted only 2 2/3 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits and three walks.
Greene slugged a 427-foot home run to right, his career-high 24th, to lead off the third. Trey Sweeney made it 4-1 with a two-run double down the right-field line later in the inning.
Perez and Gurriel, who is hitting .385 since the Royals acquired him from Atlanta, each had two hits for the Royals.