The Detroit Tigers capped a strong weekend turnaround Sunday afternoon, powering past the Miami Marlins 8–2 behind three home runs and a dominant outing from Tarik Skubal to complete a three game sweep.
Detroit’s offense struck early and often, while Skubal outdueled fellow Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcántara in a marquee pitching matchup. The victory extended the Tigers’ winning streak to three games after they had dropped nine of their previous 11 contests.
Skubal (2–2) was in command from the outset, retiring the first nine batters he faced and carrying a no-hit bid into the sixth inning. Miami finally broke through when Austin Slater delivered a two-out bloop single. The reigning two-time AL Cy Young winner finished with one run allowed on just two hits over 6 2/3 innings, striking out seven in a sharp performance that set the tone for the sweep-clinching win.
Detroit wasted little time giving their ace support. Rookie catcher Dillon Dingler launched a three-run homer in the first inning off Alcántara (2–1), immediately putting Miami on its heels. The blast marked an early turning point against the 2022 NL Cy Young winner, who had allowed only two earned runs across his first three starts of the season.
Another rookie added to the momentum in the fifth inning when Kevin McGonigle connected for the first home run of his major league career, extending Detroit’s lead to 4–0. Kerry Carpenter followed with a two-run homer during a three-run sixth inning that effectively sealed the outcome as the Tigers’ lineup continued its aggressive approach at the plate.
Alcántara struggled to recover after the early damage, surrendering seven runs on 10 hits in one of his toughest outings of the young season.
Miami managed to get on the board in the seventh when Otto Lopez delivered a sacrifice fly to score Jakob Marsee. Lopez later added a solo home run in the ninth, but the late offense wasn’t enough to slow Detroit’s momentum.
With the victory, the Tigers completed the sweep and showed signs of regaining form after their recent slump, while the Marlins fell back to .500 and dropped their seventh game in the last 10.
Miami will try to regroup Monday night when right-hander Eury Pérez (1–1, 5.06 ERA) opens a road series in Atlanta against the Braves and scheduled starter Grant Holmes (1–1, 2.55 ERA). Detroit has Monday off before returning home Tuesday to host Kansas City, where left-hander Framber Valdez (1–1, 4.76 ERA) is set to face Royals left-hander Cole Ragans (0–3, 5.93 ERA).
