Skubal got his wish on Wednesday afternoon. But while he could count on a duel with fellow southpaw changeup artist Cole Ragans, he wasn’t counting on the Royals being on his changeup and fastball so well.

By the time the Tigers registered a hit on Ragans with a Riley Greene two-out single in the sixth, Skubal had thrown his final pitch, having allowed as many runs (four) over five innings as he had in his previous three starts this month combined. He was on his way to his first loss since last August, ending a 14-game unbeaten streak in which he was 10-0 with a 1.48 ERA. The Royals were on their way to a series sweep, sending the Tigers three games under .500 for the first time this year with an 8-3 loss.

It was the exclamation point on a statement series for the Royals, who never trailed, and whose home has become a horror lately for Skubal. He has 11 innings of one-run ball in the Royals’ last two visits to Detroit, but he’s 1-5 with a 6.14 ERA at Kauffman Stadium, easily his highest ERA of any division rival’s park.