The Los Angeles Dodgers slipped out of Comerica Park with a 2-1 win over the Detroit Tigers on Friday, August 28, 2026, handing Detroit a tough one-run defeat in nine innings. Tarik Skubal — facing his former team — threw six sharp innings, striking out seven without issuing a single walk and allowing just one earned run on four hits. The Tigers bullpen ultimately couldn't hold the fort, and Jacob Waguespack took the loss after surrendering the go-ahead run late. Detroit generated enough contact to make it interesting but couldn't push across the insurance run that would have changed everything.
Tarik Skubal Dominates Former Teammates in Six-Inning Gem
Let's be direct: Skubal was the story of this game. Six innings, seven strikeouts, zero walks, four hits, one earned run. That is a performance that wins baseball games, and it did exactly that for Los Angeles. Skubal located his pitches with precision all night, keeping Detroit's lineup off-balance and never letting traffic on the bases compound into crooked numbers. Evan Phillips picked up the win with a perfect seventh — three strikeouts on three batters faced — and Tanner Scott closed it out in the ninth with two punchouts to earn the save.
Detroit Pitching: A Mixed Bag from Start to Finish
Drew Anderson gave the Tigers a serviceable start, if an uneven one. He worked 4.2 innings, fanning five and allowing four hits — but his five walks kept him on a short leash and ultimately pushed him out of the game earlier than ideal. Drew Sommers followed and looked sharp at times, punching out three batters across 1.1 innings, but a run crept across on his watch. Tyler Holton bridged 0.2 innings before handing off to Waguespack, who allowed two hits and one earned run in 1.1 frames — enough to flip the scoreboard. Tyler Kinley worked a clean ninth in terms of hits but walked two, keeping nerves frayed in the stands.
Detroit Pitching Breakdown — Friday, August 28
- Drew Anderson: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 5 BB, 5 K
- Drew Sommers: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
- Tyler Holton: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
- Jacob Waguespack (L): 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
- Tyler Kinley: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
Turning Point: The Dodgers' Late Comeback
The metadata confirms this one: the Dodgers came back, overcoming a one-run deficit to take the lead and not relinquish it. Freddie Freeman was the engine on offense for Los Angeles, going 2-for-4 with one RBI. Teoscar Hernández added two hits of his own to keep pressure on Detroit's pitching staff throughout the night. When Waguespack couldn't strand the runners that Holton had left him, the game turned. It's the kind of inning that stings because it's preventable — and it's one Detroit has to learn from.
Gleyber Torres the Lone Bright Spot at the Plate
On the Detroit side, Gleyber Torres was the most productive bat in the lineup, going 2-for-4. The Tigers managed four hits off Skubal across six innings, which is something, but they couldn't manufacture the second run that would have forced extra innings. One run on the board is not enough against a Dodgers club that has the bullpen depth to slam the door — and Evan Phillips and Tanner Scott made that abundantly clear.
What's Next for the Tigers
Detroit and Los Angeles continue their series, giving the Tigers a quick opportunity to answer. This was a one-run game against a quality opponent, and the margin is thin enough that no one should be hitting the panic button — but the walk total from Anderson (five free passes in under five innings) and the inability to plate more than a single run off Skubal are legitimate concerns that the coaching staff will want to address. The Tigers need their offense to make the most of opportunities and their bullpen to protect leads, not surrender them. That formula has to work better starting next time out at Comerica Park.
