DETROIT \u2013 Tarik Skubal struck out nine over five innings and Colt Keith hit a two-run homer to lead the Detroit Tigers to a 6-2 victory over the Athletics on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n
Skubal (5-4) struck out the side in the first inning for the second time in his career and left after 96 pitches. The left-hander allowed five hits and walked two. His only blemish came on rookie Henry Bolte\u2019s third homer<\/a>, a leadoff shot in the third that cut it to 2-1.<\/p>\n Kevin McGonigle, headed to the All-Star Game as a rookie, drew an eight-pitch walk from J.T. Ginn (7-5) leading off the first and Keith hit<\/a> his next pitch for his seventh homer and a lead the Tigers never relinquished. Detroit (41-50) has won three straight and six of its last seven games.<\/p>\n Kyle Finnegan pitched a scoreless sixth following Skubal, and Drew Anderson allowed Shea Langeliers\u2019 RBI single for an unearned run in the seventh. Jacob Waguespack closed it out with two perfect innings.<\/p>\n Ginn left in favor of Jacob Lopez after allowing two runs on two hits in four innings.<\/p>\n Detroit broke it open with a four-run sixth after Lopez retired the first two batters.<\/p>\n Zach McKinstry drew a walk to start the rally and Spencer Torkelson singled to put runners on the corners. McKinstry scored when Joshua Kuroda-Grauer and Lawrence Butler let pinch hitter Ben Melgeri\u2019s pop-up<\/a> in short right field fall between them for a double. Matt Vierling drove in two with a double and McGonigle added an RBI single for a 6-1 lead.<\/p>\n Lopez was charged with four runs on five hits for the Athletics, who have lost four straight and eight of nine.<\/p>\n