Tigers 4, Royals 3: Outman's Blast, Dingler's Double, Skubal Watch

A three-run swing, a go-ahead double, and a deadline hanging over both dugouts

July 23, 2026 – Detroit – Comerica Park spent Thursday night pretending this was just another Royals series. The trade deadline refused to play along.

James Outman smashed a three-run homer in the seventh. Dillon Dingler doubled home the winner in the eighth. Kyle Finnegan escaped the ninth on a double play. And the Detroit Tigers beat the Kansas City Royals 4-3, per the Associated Press.

Detroit has won 14 of 19. That is the kind of run that makes front offices second-guess dealing a two-time Cy Young winner.

Dobnak's zeroes, Collins' two-run crack

Randy Dobnak threw five scoreless for Kansas City. Troy Melton lasted five for Detroit and allowed two runs. The game stayed quiet until the sixth, when Isaac Collins broke it open with a two-run homer—his sixth—and the Royals led 2-0.

John Schreiber was an out away from protecting a two-run lead in the seventh. Then Outman got a 2-2 fastball and parked it just over the right-field fence. 3-2, Detroit. One swing. Series tone changed.

Josh Rojas pulled Kansas City even with an RBI single in the eighth. Dingler answered immediately—an RBI double off Steven Cruz (2-3) that put Detroit ahead for good. Drew Anderson (4-4) had allowed the tying run and still got the win. Finnegan entered with two on and one out in the ninth and ended it with a double play for save No. 2.

Skubal said the quiet part out loud

Before the game, Tarik Skubal said his preference is to finish the season in Detroit and chase a championship. He also knows Friday’s start against these same Royals could be his last in a Tigers uniform if the club sells before August 3.

That is the real subtext of a 4-3 win on a five-game Thursday. The box score says Outman and Dingler. The AthX board says Skubal holders are pricing rumor and results at the same time.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro missed the game for a personal matter. Kansas City sits 43-61. Seller math is simpler on that side of the diamond.

AthX Engine angle

AthX Engine put Detroit at 8 team FP—tied with Toronto and Minnesota on Thursday’s winning tier behind Arizona and Atlanta. Dingler and Outman each graded 6 hitting FP. Collins led the Royals’ bats at 7 FP in a one-run loss. Dobnak’s five zeroes still produced 13 pitching FP—another “good start, wrong result” night on a small slate.

Dynamic pricing will care more about Friday’s Skubal outing than Thursday’s save notation.

What comes next

Skubal vs. Kansas City on Friday is the national story whether Detroit keeps him or not. On AthX, Outman’s three-run swing is the quiet buy; Skubal is the volatile hold until the deadline says otherwise.

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*Sources: MLB.com schedule, CBS Sports/AP recap, CBS Sports scoreboard, AthX Engine scoring. Information only; not financial advice.*