Tarik Skubal struck out eight in eight innings — the longest outing of his career — and the host Detroit Tigers edged the Boston Red Sox, 2-1, on Saturday night.
Skubal (16-4) gave up one run on four hits and did not issue a walk. The favorite for the American League Cy Young Award threw 98 pitches and became the first pitcher in the majors to reach 200 strikeouts. He has 201.
Tyler Holton pitched the ninth for his sixth save. Trey Sweeney knocked in both Detroit runs with a double as the Tigers ended a two-game slide. Spencer Torkelson was the only player on either team to record a multi-hit game. He had two singles and scored a run.
Red Sox starter Nick Pivetta (5-10) gave up two runs and six hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out six. Tyler O’Neill accounted for their lone run with a home run.
O’Neill opened the scoring with his two-out blast in the first inning. His 25th homer cleared the left-center field wall.
Detroit took the lead in the second. Torkelson had a one-out single and Zach McKinstry followed with a double. Sweeney brought both runners home with his opposite-field double. Pivetta escaped further damage by getting Ryan Kreidler to foul out and Jake Rogers to fly out.
The Tigers had two baserunners in the third as Riley Greene and Matt Vierling had one-out singles. Pivetta then struck out the next two batters.
Kreidler was picked off after leading off the seventh with a single against Greg Weissert. Parker Meadows had a two-out single but was also picked off after Rich Hill entered in relief.
Skubal retired the last eight batters he faced. He didn’t give up a hit after Connor Wong’s leadoff single in the fifth. Wong was quickly erased on a double play.
Skubal’s last pitch with a 99 mph fastball that struck out Ceddanne Rafaela.
O’Neill walked with two out in the ninth. Rafael Devers then lined out to short to end the game.
The teams will complete the three-game series on Sunday afternoon.