"He’s the best pitcher in the game right now" - Aaron Judge praises Tigers' ace following 3-2 loss on the road
Very few can subdue what Aaron Judge and Juan Soto bring to the plate. Their unreal hitting was quashed by an exceptional performance from Tarik Skubal, who helped the Detroit Tigers clinch the home series against the New York Yankees—winning Sunday's game: 3-2.
There was a reason why top teams like the LA Dodgers and the Baltimore Orioles wanted Skubal at the trade deadline, and his Sunday's pitching marvel could not state enough. The AL Cy Young contender threw six innings for only one run after allowing just three hits, four walks and five strikeouts.
After the game, Judge, who went 1-4, threw praise down Skubal's way.
"He’s the best pitcher in the game right now," Judge said via Jon Morosi. "When he came back last year at the end of the year, he hit a different gear, a different level. It’s not fun facing a guy like that, but it’s fun competing against the best."
Earlier in May, when Skubal took on the Yankees, he threw six innings for two earned runs while striking out 12 hitters. He seems to have gotten a hold on Yankees hitters this season.
Aaron Judge & co. drop their series against the Tigers
Even without Skubal's impressive outing, the Yankees missed the opportunity to tie the game in later innings. When Skubal exited the game, the game was still for the Yankees to win—leading with a 1-0 score. However, their bullpen couldn't sustain the inning and choked to lose the series.
The Tigers tied the game on Jace Jung's RBI single to left field to send the game into extra innings. The following inning saw the Yankees hitter take the lead again with DJ LeMahieu's RBI single. Yankees' Mark Leiter Jr. then gave up back-to-back RBI singles to take the loss.
Pinch hitter Zach McKinstry first drove in the automatic runner, followed by a Parker Meadows walk-off RBI single to clinch a come-from-behind win.
This was followed by a 4-0 loss in Game 2 of the series. These back-to-back losses have hurt the Yankees position in the AL East, with the Orioles also sporting a similar 73-52 record for the division lead.