Tyler O'Neill threw the first punch, but Tarik Skubal sure got the last laugh.
Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) walks off the pitching mound after playing a full inning against the Seattle Mariners at Comerica Park in Detroit on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. David Rodriguez Munoz / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Boston Red Sox suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Detroit Tigers on Saturday evening, and Skubal flummoxed Boston's lineup for eight dominant innings.
After O'Neill's solo home run in the first inning, Boston did not get a runner past third base. Skubal finished the day with just four hits allowed, no walks, and eight strikeouts. He needed just 98 pitches to get through the eighth.
As dominant as Skubal was, the Red Sox still could have at least extended the game were it not for a dropped fly ball in left field by Rob Refsnyder in the second inning, which occured with runners on second and third and one out. That would have tied the game, but the mistake, which somehow was not ruled an error, allowed the eventual winning run to score.
Maybe the Red Sox were always going to lose to Skubal, who is now 16-4, and appears a lock to win the AL Cy Young award unless September is truly catastrophic. But the loss also marked the continuation of a trend that has become Boston's Achilles Heel in 2024.
The Red Sox are now 15-23 when facing left-handed starting pitchers, compared to 55-43 against righties. It makes sense--most of the best Red Sox hitters are left-handed. But that's not only a very real problem for this team right now, but it could get even worse moving forward.
Here are the key hitters who are left-handed on the Red Sox roster: Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, Triston Casas, Rafael Devers, Masataka Yoshida, Nick Sogard (switch-hitter), and David Hamilton (currently injured).
That's nearly enough lefties to create a full-on starting lineup. But now, factor in that the consensus top three prospects, shortstop Marcelo Mayer, center fielder Roman Anthony, and catcher Kyle Teel, all bat from the left side as well. The roster looks lopsided, and that may well need to be corrected.
As much as it's great having a stockpile of talent, at some point, the Red Sox are going to need lineup balance. It's an unenviable task, but Craig Breslow will likely have to trade a good player or two away this winter to create a less lefty-dominant lineup in 2025.
