Tarik Skubal allowed four hits over seven strong innings and backup catcher Jake Rogers’ two-run triple highlighted a four-run fifth as the visiting Detroit Tigers blanked the Kansas City Royals 5-0 on Sunday.
Colt Keith and Gleyber Torres also drove in runs as the Tigers took the rubber match of the three-game set.
Rogers also doubled for Detroit, which owns a 9 1/2-game lead over second-place Kansas City. Torres and Wenceel Perez also recorded two hits.
Kansas City put a runner on third base in two of the first three innings, but couldn’t muster anything further against Skubal (12-4), who also walked two and struck out four over 93 pitches while lowering his ERA to 2.18. Meanwhile, Rogers’ sixth career triple was a big blow against the Royals’ Michael Wacha (8-11), who was cruising until the fifth.
Wacha, who came off the paternity list following the birth of his second child this week, retired 12 of the first 13 batters he faced until Spencer Torkelson walked to open the fifth. He then went to third on Zach McKinstry’s single. Both scored when Rogers found the center field wall and the Royals’ Tyler Tolbert appeared to misread the ball and got turned around.
Rogers is 6-for-9 in his career against Wacha.
Keith then followed with an RBI double and Wacha’s day ended after Gleyber Torres’ run-scoring single to right-center field.
Wacha earned all four runs and allowed five hits for the Royals, who finished 4-9 against the American League Central-leading Tigers in 2025.
The Tigers added a run in the eighth. The Royals’ Sam Long walked Riley Greene, yielded a one-out single to Perez and hit McKinstry with a pitch. After Rogers struck out, Greene came home on Luke Maile’s passed ball.
Maikel Garcia had two doubles for the Royals, who are trying to reach wild-card position in the AL and had won five consecutive home series. Star teammate Bobby Witt Jr. went 0-for-4 to see his 18-game hitting streak come to an end.
