Detroit, MI

Tarik Skubal stung by Seattle Mariners early, and then bullpen blows up in 12-3 loss

Published

5 months ago

July 11, 2025

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Tarik Skubal stung by Seattle Mariners early, and then bullpen blows up in 12-3 loss

The Detroit Tigers lost to the Seattle Mariners, 12-3, on Friday, July 11.
Tarik Skubal allowed four runs in five innings in his first loss since April.
Riley Greene drove in a run for the Tigers with a triple in the sixth inning.

The Detroit Tigers didn’t get the usual pinpoint control from ace Tarik Skubal in their series opener against the Seattle Mariners.

It hardly mattered by the ninth inning, with the Mariners scoring seven runs in the frame, highlighted by a Cal Raleigh grand slam (his second of the game) to give the M’s star an MLB-leading 38 homers on the season.

But it was the Mariners’ other slugger that gave them the lead for good.

On a 1-2 count in the top of the fifth, with the Tigers already down by two, Skubal hung a changeup to Mariners center fielder Julio Rodríguez. The slugger did not miss, sending the pitch 440 feet from home plate beyond the Little Caesars logo in left-center field.

It ended up as the deciding blow in the Mariners’ 12-3 win over the Tigers on Friday, July 11, at Comerica Park. Skubal allowed four earned runs against the Mariners after two consecutive scoreless starts (on June 29 and July 6), a less-than-ideal way for the ace to enter the All-Star break.

“I felt like I was fighting myself all day,” Skubal said. “Couldn’t get into a rhythm, for whatever reason.”

He finished the start allowing four hits and four earned runs in five innings, striking out five batters and walking two. And in a sign of things to come, his control seemed off from the very first batter.

Skubal hit Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford with his second pitch of the game on a wayward sinker, marking the first time in his career that Skubal has hit a batter to lead off a game. He forced consecutive ground balls from Rodríguez and Raleigh, however, with the one from Raleigh an inning-ending double play to keep the Mariners off the scoreboard in the first inning.

“I put us in a hole early. And as the starting pitcher, you try to keep your team in the game as long as possible. And I just didn’t do my job today,” he said.

Skubal allowed his first run in the second inning off a triple from first baseman Donovan Solano that got by a diving Parker Meadows in center field. The hit scored second baseman Jorge Polanco from first base, giving the Mariners a 1-0 lead, and it might have scored a second run had any Mariner but the slow-footed Solano hit it.

It was the first run Skubal had allowed in 18 innings, with his previous run allowed coming off a two-run home run from Athletics’ center fielder Denzel Clark on June 24.

Crawford was on the receiving end of another Skubal rarity in the third inning, drawing a one-out walk. Skubal, who entered the game with the lowest walk rate among all qualified starters (1.09 per nine innings), hadn’t walked a batter since his June 29 start against the Minnesota Twins.

Skubal’s second earned run of the game came off a two-out RBI single from Crawford in the bottom of the fifth. His next two came off one swing, the towering home run from Rodríguez on the next at-bat that made the score 4-1 in favor of Seattle.

This is the fifth loss the Tigers have recorded on a Skubal start and the first since a 1-0 loss against the Kansas City Royals on May 31. This is also the first time in 2025 the Tigers have lost a Skubal start by more than one run, and Skubal’s first loss since early April; he had won 10 consecutive decisions.

“It’s a good reminder these guys are human, and they’re going to have some of these games where they’re not at their best,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said.

Skubal’s next start might be at the 2025 All-Star Game at Truist Park in Atlanta. Although American League manager Aaron Boone has not indicated who he will choose as his starting pitcher, the AL Cy Young favorite stands as a likely choice for the honor.

The four earned runs raised Skubal’s ERA from 2.02 to 2.23 on the season.

Tigers bats not quite hot enough

The Tigers offense, mostly silent through the first three innings with three total baserunners, got the first two runners on in the fourth via a Torres walk and Wenceel Pérez single. A soft flyout from Riley Greene and a strikeout from Spencer Torkelson looked like it would end the threat, especially with Zach McKinstry initially called out on strikes in what appeared to end the inning.

However, the umpires had a quick conference and determined that McKinstry’s whiff was actually a foul tip that hit the ground, allowing the inning to continue. The All-Star wasted no time with his do-over, dropping the next pitch into center field for an RBI single to tie the game at 1. Catcher Dillon Dingler reached first via a hit-by-pitch on the next at-bat to load the bases for Parker Meadows, but Meadows struck out to end the inning, ending the Tigers’ threat.

Mariners starter Luis Castillo outdueled his opponent, allowing three earned runs and six hits over five innings, striking out six Tigers.

“For a while, we didn’t put two really good at-bats together back-to-back, hardly at all. And that’s because Castillo was controlling the tempo and the timing and the barrel contact,” said Hinch.

A no-out Greene triple off Castillo in the sixth inning cut the score to 4-2, scoring Pérez from third base. Torkelson’s sacrifice fly to left field scored Greene and made it a one-run game, though Torkelson’s flyout was only a few feet away from clearing the left-center wall and tying the game.

Greene finished 2-for-4 with an RBI, while Pérez finished 2-for-3 with a run.

Comedy in the ninth

A bullpen relay of Tyler Holton, Carlos Hernández and Brant Hurter gave up a combined eight runs in the eighth and ninth innings, giving the Mariners a comfortable lead as the game approached its conclusion.

In a treat for those who stayed through the blowout, Tigers catcher Jake Rogers entered to pitch with one out in the ninth for his second pitching appearance of the season. His first came in a June 14 game against the Cincinnati Reds, which the Tigers lost, 11-1.

Rogers got Solano to ground out before hitting Luke Raley with a pitch in the next at-bat. He then induced third baseman Ben Williamson to line out to left to complete his first career scoreless outing.

The Tigers next face the Mariners on Saturday, July 12, with first pitch scheduled for 1:10 p.m.

You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com

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Detroit, MI

Lions no longer control own destiny to postseason after loss to Rams

Published

12 hours ago

December 15, 2025

Press Room

Lions no longer control own destiny to postseason after loss to Rams

Inglewood, Calif. — Despite all the errors and issues facing them this season, the Detroit Lions entered Sunday relying on one reassuring truth: They controlled their own destiny for a spot in the postseason.

Following a 41-34 loss to the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium, that is no longer the case.

The Lions will now not only have to win their remaining games in the regular season, but also get some help from other teams as they hope to jump the San Francisco 49ers (10-4), Chicago Bears (10-4) or Green Bay Packers (9-4-1) for one of the NFC’s top seven seeds.

Detroit’s best path to the playoffs remains finishing better than the Bears, who host the Lions in Week 18. The Lions, with a win in the finale, could secure a tiebreaker over Chicago. Put simply: If the Bears lose one of their next two contests (vs. the Packers and at the 49ers) and Detroit wins out, the Lions would bounce them from the playoffs.

“We’ve got to take it one week at time, that’s the biggest thing. … Don’t look too far ahead, don’t start counting games (or) looking at teams,” said receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, who had 164 yards and two touchdowns against the Rams. “Just focus on the task at hand, the team we’ve got up. Put all your energy into that and take it one week at a time.”

Next up for the Lions is a home tilt with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who play the Miami Dolphins on Monday. Following that will be road tests at the Minnesota Vikings and Bears. The Lions were upset by Minnesota in Week 9 but smoked Chicago in Week 2, though the Bears have won all but two of their games since.

Sunday’s result in Los Angeles doesn’t change the already heightened level of urgency the team had heading into the game, linebacker Jack Campbell said: “Every game in the NFL, you’ve got to be urgent. You’ve got win every single game. That’s what it comes down to, and we haven’t been doing that. We put ourselves in this position. … I feel like every guy in this locker room’s been urgent since we showed up (for training camp).”

Dan Campbell’s Lions have been praised for their resolve over the last handful of years. They showed it last season, when they marched to 15 wins in spite of being the NFL’s most injured team. They’ll need that quality over the next three weeks — they haven’t won consecutive games since Week 5 — in addition to some luck.

“I believe in the guys on this team (and) the character of the players on this team, our captains, the core of it. … I know we can do it. These players know we can do it,” Campbell said. “You go back to work, man. I don’t believe for one second anybody’s lost confidence. … We’ve got three to go here. We don’t control our own destiny, but we need to win these three, and it starts with Pittsburgh at home.”

rsilva@detroitnews.com

@rich_silva18

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Detroit, MI

What are Detroit Lions’ NFL playoffs odds? Latest playoff picture

Published

24 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Press Room

What are Detroit Lions’ NFL playoffs odds? Latest playoff picture

The Detroit Lions needed some help from an AFC rival to improve their playoff odds before their Week 15 matchup, but they didn’t get the outcome they desired.

The Lions (8-5, 3rd in NFC North) are facing off against the NFC’s top-seeded Los Angeles Rams (10-3, 1st in NFC West) on Sunday, Dec. 14, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. As the NFC’s No. 8 seed, the Lions entered the day with a 54% chance to make the playoffs per NFL Next Gen Stats, but those odds fell with the result in Chicago.

With the No. 7-seeded Chicago Bears hosting the 3-10 Cleveland Browns, Lions fans were hoping for a Browns upset to drop the Bears to 9-5 and allow the Lions to move into a playoff position with a win, since a 9-5 Lions team would own a tiebreaker over Chicago (thanks to their Week 2 victory). However, the Bears took care of business on a frigid day at Soldier Field, beating the Browns, 31-3, to improve to 10-4.

With the Bears beating the Browns, the Lions playoff odds have now lowered to 52% ahead of their game against the Rams (4:25 p.m., Fox). Here’s a look at what the rest of the NFC playoff picture looks like, including how a Lions win can help improve their position.

Lions playoff scenarios

Here’s the latest info on how the Lions can make it into the NFL playoffs, how they could miss out and what their playoff odds are.

What are Lions’ odds to make NFL playoffs?

According to NFL Next Gen Stats, the Lions have a 52% chance of making the playoffs. If they beat the Rams, they will have a 73% chance to make the postseason, but those odds drop to 40% with a loss.

NFC playoff standings

Only the top seven teams make the playoffs in each conference. Here are the NFC standings entering the Lions Week 15 game against the Rams, with playoff odds from NFL Next Gen Stats:

Rams: 10-3, 97%
Packers: 9-3-1, 92%
Eagles: 9-5, 95%
Panthers: 7-6, 47%
Seahawks: 10-3, 97%
Bears, 10-4, 68%
49ers: 9-4, 93%
*Lions: 8-5, 52%
*Buccaneers: 7-7, 54%
*Cowboys: 6-6-1, 8%

*Currently out of the playoffs

How Lions can make NFL playoffs

The Lions still control their own playoff destiny despite currently being out of the playoff picture as the No. 8 seed. However, if the Lions lose any of their four remaining regular-season games, they will need additional outcomes to break their way in order to make it to the postseason.

If the Lions go 4-0 in their remaining regular-season games and finish 12-5, they will make the playoffs no matter the outcome of any other game (and have an outside shot of grabbing the No. 1 seed in the NFC).
If the Lions go 3-1 in their final four games and finish 11-6, they will still make the playoffs if the Bears go 1-2 in their final three games and one of those two losses is to Detroit. An 11-6 Lions team could also theoretically overtake the San Francisco 49ers for a wild-card spot, but that would require the 49ers to lose three of their last four games.
If the Lions go 2-2 in their final four games and finish 10-7, they will have a very difficult time of making the playoffs, especially if one of those losses is to Chicago. In that scenario, either the Rams or 49ers would need to lose all four of their remaining regular-season games for the Lions to make the playoffs.
If the Lions go 1-3 in their final four games and finish 9-8, they will have virtually no shot at making the playoffs unless that one win is against the Bears – and Detroit’s playoff odds would still be minute even with a win in Chicago.
The Lions will be eliminated from playoff contention if they go 0-4 in their final four games and finish 8-9 on the season.

Lions schedule: Next game, final stretch

Week 16, Sunday, Dec. 21: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, 4:25 p.m., CBS.
Week 17, Thursday, Dec. 25: at Minnesota Vikings, 4:30 p.m., Netflix.
Week 18, Saturday/Sunday, Jan. 3-4: at Chicago Bears, TBD.

Bears schedule: Next game, final stretch

Week 16, Saturday, Dec. 20: vs Green Bay Packers, 8:20 p.m. ET, Fox.
Week 17, Sunday, Dec. 28: at San Francisco 49ers, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC.
Week 18, Saturday/Sunday, Jan. 3-4: vs Detroit Lions, TBD.

When do NFL playoffs start?

The wild-card round is Jan. 10-12.

NFL playoffs schedule

Wild-card round: Jan. 10-12.
Divisional round: Jan. 17-18.
Conference championships: Jan. 25.
Super Bowl 60: Feb. 8.

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You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.

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Detroit, MI

EPA wrongly found Detroit area safe for smog, judge rules in split decision

Published

1 day ago

December 14, 2025

Press Room

EPA wrongly found Detroit area safe for smog, judge rules in split decision

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was wrong to determine Michigan met federal health and environmental standards for ozone pollution or smog in the Detroit area in 2023, a federal appeals court judge has ruled.

U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Helene White on Dec. 5 issued a split decision in a case about how environmental regulators measured Detroit air quality in 2022, when wildfire smoke drifted over Detroit and affected the air quality monitor readings for a few days in June.

Michigan considered those days “exceptional events” because of the wildfire smoke and didn’t include the high ozone pollution readings in its calculation to the EPA.

With those days tossed, the state was able to argue in 2023 that Michigan met federal air quality standards for ground-level ozone pollution. The seven-county Metro Detroit region had previously been out of compliance with the ozone standards.

The Sierra Club sued, arguing the wildfire smoke did not meaningfully change ozone readings and that the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy failed to analyze how local pollution sources contributed to the ozone levels on those days. The environmental advocacy group also challenged the EPA’s finding that the region met federal standards for ozone pollution.

White determined the exceptional events designation was appropriate, siding against the Sierra Club in deciding the EPA and EGLE correctly analyzed the smoke’s impact on ozone readings in June 2022.

She sided against EPA in deciding the EPA was wrong to put Michigan back into attainment for ground-level ozone without Michigan adopting control measures that would cut volatile organic compounds, which contribute to ozone pollution.

EPA determined the Detroit area was out of attainment for ground-level ozone on April 13, 2022. Michigan regulators did not impose control technologies for ozone-causing pollutants by the deadline in early 2023. Instead, they asked EPA to redesignate the area as in attainment with the air quality rules.

Michigan was obligated to implement control technologies even though it had submitted a redesignation request, White said in her order. Control technologies include efforts to reduce volatile organic compounds from being released from manufacturing plants and industrial sources, according to EPA documents.

Sierra Club member and Detroit environmental justice activist Dolores Leonard cheered the outcome of the case.

“Without this victory, EPA’s decisions would have let Michigan avoid the rules needed to reduce pollution and keep the air we breathe safe,” Leonard said. “At a time when asthma rates are rising in Detroit, especially in Black communities, that’s unacceptable. With the backing of this federal court decision, our community will continue to push the state of Michigan to take much-needed action to relieve ozone pollution in this area.”

The Clean Air Act requires those pollution control measures to be implemented even after the EPA puts an area back into attainment to ensure the air quality remains healthy, said Nick Leonard, executive director of Great Lakes Environmental Law Center, which argued the Sierra Club’s case.

White’s order means the EGLE will have to reapply for the attainment of the ozone standard, Leonard said.

“At the very least, I would say they have to correct the legal deficiency, which was that they didn’t enact the pollution control rules that are typically required for areas that are in non-attainment for this long,” he said.

The EPA is reviewing the decision, its press office said. The office did not respond to a question about whether it would ask Michigan to adopt volatile organic compound control measures as a result of White’s decision.

The EGLE also is reviewing the ruling, spokesman Dale George said.

“While EGLE was not a party to the case and is not able to speak in detail about the legal outcome, we were encouraged that the court supported the use of exceptional events demonstrations and acknowledged the sound science behind EGLE’s determination that the Detroit area met the health-based ozone standard,” George said.

Leonard said he was disappointed but not surprised that White ruled against the Sierra Club’s arguments that EGLE and the EPA did not correctly account for wildfire smoke’s impact on ozone readings in 2022.

That issue is going to plague communities as climate change causes northern wildfires to become more common and kick smoke into Michigan, he predicted.

“If we start to essentially cut out bad air quality days because of the claim they were partially influenced by wildfire smoke … , you create this disconnect between the regulatory systems that are meant to protect people and the actual air pollution that people are breathing,” Leonard said.

ckthompson@detroitnews.com

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