For three innings, we got a pretty good pitching duel out of the gate. J.A. Happ mixed in a few more offspeed pitches than normal and worked both edges of the plate effectively with fastballs. Jeimer Candelario’s double to left in the second inning was really the only notable moment for the Tigers’ offense the first time through the order.
On the other side, Tarik Skubal was dominant. He mixed in heavier doses of sliders and changeups to excellent effect early on, while the Twins were clearly hunting first pitch fastballs. There were even a pair of nasty curveballs for strikes, one of which had Josh Donaldson way off balance.