Pitching coach Rick Anderson stood over Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal, who sat on the edge of his seat in the dugout, for a conversation after the sixth inning. When Skubal stood up, he was greeted with first bumps from his teammates.
Matthew Boyd and Casey Mize stood next to him, both with face masks, to congratulate the rookie and digest his electric outing.
But nobody smiled walking back into the clubhouse a few innings later, as the bullpen squandered a two-run lead — capped off by Byron Buxton's walk-off infield single. He beat the throw from shortstop Willi Castro as the Minnesota Twins stole a 4-3 win from the Tigers (17-20) on Saturday at Target Field.