The Boston Red Sox and Tarik Skubal had their moments against each other on May 14. Boston collected a season high five earned runs off the reigning Cy Young winner, but he racked up 11 strikeouts against its notoriously free-swinging bats.
But Alex Bregman was Skubal's weakness. He cracked two first-pitch hits off the ace, one a single and one a homer, before the fifth inning. Skubal, ever the competitor, didn't take kindly to Bregman's early offensive barrage.
Cameras caught Bregman laughing as he covered third base between his second and third at-bats. He conversed with someone in the Tigers' dugout, and broadcasts later revealed it was Skubal shouting for Bregman to take a pitch in his next at-bat.
The third baseman obliged and watched a laser of a strike whiz by him in the sixth inning. On the next pitch, he dropped a single into center field for his third hit of the night. Bregman went 3-for-4 with a home run and an RBI against one of baseball's scariest arms.
Alex Bregman and Tarik Skubal's on-field exchange was one of few bright spot in Red Sox's loss to Tigers
After his run-in with the Red Sox, Skubal's ERA is up to 2.67 in 54 innings. He's already notched 71 strikeouts on the season and is already well on his way to his second consecutive All-Star appearance (with Bregman in tow) and AL Cy Young Award.
Despite Bregman's performance, fueled by a cacophony of boos from Tigers fans, Boston couldn't pull off a win to kill Detroit's sweep. The evening featured plenty of bright spots, like Bregman and Skubal's banter and a ridiculous two-man home run robbery from Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela, but the Red Sox's shortcomings were, unfortunately, the main event.
Boston's second two losses against the Tigers contributed to its league-leading 11 blown saves and 12 one-run losses. The Sox's offense found a spark with five runs against Skubal, but its 14 strikeouts and seven men left on base don't couple well with a bullpen that can't hold a close lead.
The Tigers, the best team in the AL as of this writing, are the Red Sox's most dangerous opponent yet. Still, Boston twice came within one run of beating them. The series made the Sox's needs clearer — if they want to compete in a wide-open AL, they need to strike out less and deepen the bullpen with more reliable, high-leverage arms. Unfortunately, that's easier said than done, especially due to the Red Sox's roster construction issues.