Tarik Skubal strikes out 13, helps Tigers topple Guardians

Tarik Skubal tied his career high with 13 strikeouts in the first complete game shutout of his career, lifting the Detroit Tigers to a 5-0 victory over the visiting Cleveland Guardians on Sunday.
Skubal (5-2), the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner, retired the first 15 batters he faced and gave up only two hits without issuing a walk. Skubal had never thrown a complete game in his previous 113 starts.
Zach McKinstry hit a two-run homer to spark a five-run fourth inning for the Tigers, who salvaged the finale of a four-game series with their Central Division rival. Gleyber Torres reached base three times, scored a run and knocked in another.
Jose Ramirez extended his hitting streak to 18 games with a single in the seventh inning.
Cleveland starter Logan Allen (2-3) gave up five runs (four earned) and six hits in 3 2/3 innings. Nic Enright, making his major-league debut, struck out three in two scoreless innings of relief.
Detroit squandered a scoring opportunity in the second inning, leaving the bases loaded.
Allen walked Torres and Riley Greene in the third but Spencer Torkelson bounced into a fielder’s choice to end the inning.
The floodgates opened in the fourth. Justyn-Henry Malloy reached on an infield single and scored on McKinstry’s two-run shot. McKinstry’s third homer came on a full count.
Javier Baez followed with a double and moved to third on a flyout. Torres’ double to left scored Baez and Torres scored on Andy Ibanez’s single. Another throwing error by Allen on a Greene bouncer allowed Ibanez to score.
Will Wilson became the first Guardians baserunner when he ripped an opposite field double to lead off the sixth. Nolan Jones was hit by a pitch with one out, but Skubal got out of trouble as Angel Martinez bounced into a double play.
Skubal struck out two batters in the seventh, fanning Kyle Manzardo with a 101-mph fastball. He set down Austin Hedges with a changeup to finish off the eighth.
Skubal blew a 103-mph fastball past Gabriel Arias to complete the shutout.