Tarik Skubal surrendered a season-high 10 hits but only one run over seven innings, rookie Justyn-Henry Malloy clubbed an early two-run homer and the surging Detroit Tigers earned an 8-2 road win over the scuffling Cleveland Guardians on Monday night.
Matt Vierling and Mark Canha each added three hits and Colt Keith homered in the ninth for the Tigers, who have won 11 of 14. Skubal (11-3), a Cy Young Award contender, wasn’t totally sharp but stranded nine Guardians, yielding one walk and striking out six.
Tyler Freeman had three hits for the American League Central-leading Guardians, who have totaled three runs during a three-game skid that’s come at home. Carlos Carrasco (3-8) allowed six runs and nine hits over 5 1/3 innings as Cleveland fell to 8-14 since June 26.
Detroit wasted no time getting to Carrasco. Vierling opened the game with a double off the 19-foot-high left field wall and scored when Malloy easily cleared that fence for his seventh homer in 36 career games. Malloy recorded his first grand slam in Sunday’s 5-4 loss at Toronto.
Perez, however, came through in the sixth. After Canha doubled, Perez one-handed a Carrasco pitch over the head of Martinez for an RBI double. The first of Gio Urshela’s two sacrifice flies on the night later in the inning made it 6-1.