Skubal has 9 strikeouts in 6 innings, Canha and Meadows homer as Tigers beat Rays 7-1

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Tarik Skubal struck out nine over six scoreless innings, Mark Canha and Parker Meadows homered, and the Detroit Tigers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-1 on Monday night.

The Tigers improved to 9-3 on the road this season.

Skubal (3-0) scattered three hits in winning his seventh consecutive decision, dating to last September. The left-hander is 2-0 in four starts against the Rays. allowing two earned runs over 17 1/3 innings.

“When he’s dominant in the strike zone, and he gets them in swing mode, and you given him the lead, it just gives him a leash to pitch aggressively to the strike zone,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said,

Skubal lowered his ERA from 2.28 to 1.82. This was his first career start of six or more scoreless innings, nine or more strikeouts and no walks.

“I thought my mix was pretty good" said Skubal, who threw 58 of 86 pitches for strikes. “I felt like I was pretty aggressive.”

José Caballero homered in the eighth inning off Shelby Miller as the Rays have lost three of four and six of 10. Tampa Bay had one runner reach second base against Skubal.

“For a team that's trying to get their offense going, which we are, he's probably not the guy you want to face," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “Pretty electric fastball.”

Canha hit a solo homer in the first inning and Javier Báez had an RBI single off Zack Littell (1-1) in a two-run second as the Tigers grabbed a 3-0 lead.

“We got him a little lead and he’s pitching downhill,” Canha said of Skubal. “It's a good combo for us,”

Canha had a run-scoring single during a two-run fifth and Meadows connected on a solo drive in the sixth that made it 6-0.

“They were aggressive,” Cash said. “They just had good at-bats throughout.”

Tampa Bay has given up 22 homers in 15 home games.

Littell gave up six runs — five earned — and eight hits in six innings. He had seven strikeouts.

Tampa Bay's Amed Rosario extended his career-high hitting streak to 14 games with a single in the first.

Rays 2023 All-Star Randy Arozarena continues to struggle at the plate and saw his batting average drop eight points to .149 after going 0 for 4. The outfielder is 8 for 73 (.110) in April. TRAINER’S ROOM

Rays: CF Jose Siri (kidney stone) was in the lineup after being examined at a hospital on Sunday. ... Closer Pete Fairbanks (nerve-related issues) was placed on the 15-day IL after experiencing discomfort in his fingers while playing catch over the weekend. ... RHP Taj Bradley (right pectoral strain) is scheduled to start a rehab assignment with Triple-A Durham on Sunday.

UP NEXT

Tigers RHP Kenta Maeda (0-1, 7.64 ERA) will go against Rays RHP Ryan Pepiot (2-2, 4.37 ERA) on Tuesday night.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

Detroit Tigers' Jake Rogers singles off Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Zack Littell during the fifth inning of a baseball game Monday, April 22, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Detroit Tigers' Javier Baez scores in front of Tampa Bay Rays catcher Rene Pinto, left, on a throwing error by Jose Caballero during the fifth inning of a baseball game Monday, April 22, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Detroit Tigers' Javier Baez scores on a throwing error by Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Jose Caballero as catcher Rene Pinto reaches for a high throw during the fifth inning of a baseball game Monday, April 22, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez throws out Tampa Bay Rays' Randy Arozarena at first base during the fourth inning of a baseball game Monday, April 22, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Detroit Tigers' Javier Baez hits a single off Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Zack Littell during the fifth inning of a baseball game Monday, April 22, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Detroit Tigers second baseman Colt Keith, center, tags out Tampa Bay Rays' Amed Rosario, right, attempting to steal second base during the first inning of a baseball game Monday, April 22, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Making the call is umpire Ryan Blakney. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Detroit Tigers center fielder Parker Meadows makes a leaping catch in a fly out by Tampa Bay Rays' Harold Ramirez during the fourth inning of a baseball game Monday, April 22, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Zack Littell delivers to the Detroit Tigers during the first inning of a baseball game Monday, April 22, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Detroit Tigers' Mark Canha lines an RBI single off Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Zack Littell during the fifth inning of a baseball game Monday, April 22, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Detroit's Jake Rogers scored on the hit. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Detroit Tigers' Mark Canha (21) runs the bases after his solo home run off Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Zack Littell during the first inning of a baseball game Monday, April 22, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal delivers to the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning of a baseball game Monday, April 22, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal goes into his delivery against the Tampa Bay Rays during the third inning of a baseball game Monday, April 22, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. government on Friday loosened some rules governing electric vehicle tax credits, potentially making more EVs eligible for credits of up to $7,500 but leading critics to accuse the Biden administration of helping China.

The Treasury Department announced final regulations for the credits under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, giving automakers more time to comply with some provisions about where battery minerals can come from.

The credits range from $3,750 to $7,500 for new EVs. There's also a $4,000 credit for used ones.

They're aimed at juicing demand for EVs in an effort to reach a Biden administration goal that half of all new vehicle sales be electric by 2030. This year the credits are available at the time a vehicle is purchased from an authorized dealer rather than waiting for an income tax refund.

Qualifying for the credits depends on a person's income, the price of the vehicles and requirements related to battery makeup and minerals that get tougher each year. To get the credits, EVs must be assembled in North America. Some plug-in hybrids also can qualify.

Starting this year, complex rules are being phased in to promote development of a domestic electric vehicle supply chain. The rules would limit EV buyers from claiming the full tax credit if they purchase cars containing battery materials from China and other nations “of concern” that are considered hostile to the United States. Those include Russia, North Korea and Iran.

Under the final rule, however, small amounts of graphite and other minerals used in batteries would be exempt from the restriction until 2027, because their country of origin is nearly impossible to trace, officials said. Without the exemption, some vehicles that met nearly all of the requirements could get knocked out of tax credit eligibility due to tiny amounts that couldn’t be traced, Treasury said.

The National Mining Association slammed the new exemptions as a giveaway to China.

“Congress created these tax incentives to secure our supply chains and generate American jobs while supporting EV adoption. They did not intend for loopholes to be created that essentially amount to a blank check from the American taxpayer to China,” said Rich Nolan, the mining lobby’s president and CEO.

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said that through the new rule, the Biden administration “is effectively endorsing ‘made in China.’ ”

Manchin, who played a key role in passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, President Joe Biden’s landmark climate law, said the law specifically prohibits EVs that contain materials from foreign adversaries such as China and Russia from being eligible for the tax credit after 2024. “But now Treasury has provided a long-term pathway for these countries to remain in our supply chains. It’s outrageous and illegal,″ he said.

This year half of the critical minerals in an EV's battery have to be mined or processed in the U.S., or a country with which it has a free trade agreement. Sixty percent of the battery parts have to be made or assembled in North America.

Starting in 2025, batteries with any critical minerals from nations of concern would not be eligible for any tax credits. But after getting comment from the auto industry and others, treasury officials decided to loosen that restriction.

The rule issued Friday is likely to make more EVs eligible for credits in 2025 and 2026, but the auto industry says that's difficult to tell until automakers finish tracing the origin of all the minerals.

“The EV transition requires nothing short of a complete transformation of the U.S. industrial base," John Bozzella, CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a large industry trade group, said in a statement. “That’s a monumental task that won’t – and can’t – happen overnight.”

The rule change, he said, “makes good sense for investment, job creation and consumer EV adoption.”

At present, China dominates crucial parts of EV battery supply and production, even as automakers race to establish key mineral and components efforts elsewhere.

Of 114 EV models currently sold in the U.S., only 13 qualify for the full $7,500 credit, the automotive alliance said.

Despite the tax credits, sales of electric vehicles grew only 3.3% to nearly 270,000 from January through March of this year, far below the 47% growth that fueled record sales and a 7.6% market share last year. The slowdown, led by Tesla, confirms automakers’ fears that they moved too quickly to pursue EV buyers. The EV share of total U.S. sales fell to 7.15% in the first quarter, according to Motorintelligence.com.

“The Inflation Reduction Act’s clean vehicle credits save consumers up to $7,500 on a new vehicle, and hundreds of dollars per year on gas, while creating good paying jobs and strengthening our energy security,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement.

AP writer Daly reported from Washington.

President Joe Biden speaks during a State Dinner at the White House in Washington, Thursday, May 2, 2024, to honor the 2024 National Teacher of the Year and other teachers from across the United States. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., asks a question during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing to examine the president's proposed 2025 Department of the Interior budget on Capitol Hill Thursday, May 2, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

FILE - A 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E charges, Friday, March 8, 2024, at an electric vehicle charging station in London, Ohio. The U.S. government has loosened some rules governing electric vehicle tax credits a bit, potentially making more EVs eligible for credits of up to $7,500. The Treasury Department announced final regulations for the credits under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act on Friday, May 3, giving automakers more time to comply with some provisions about where battery minerals can come from. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel, File)