Passan: Tigers “far more likely” to trade Skubal

Henry Bolte’s homer was the only damage tonight. Skubal gave up four additional hits but only one other hard-hit ball, and he generated 22 whiffs on 52 swings. He’s fanned exactly nine batters in three straight outings now, and he’ll take a 5-4 record and a 3.06 ERA into Sunday’s start at home against the Phillies.

Skubal was handed a four-run cushion before he even took the mound at Yankee Stadium and proceeded to carve through New York’s lineup, with a first-inning solo shot from Ben Rice accounting for the only hit he allowed over six frames. He piled up nine punchouts for the second consecutive start against the Yankees and boasts a 30/2 K/BB ratio across 22 1/3 innings since returning from elbow surgery. The 29-year-old fantasy ace is expected to be one of the central figures in trade deadline discussions over the coming weeks. He’ll face the Athletics in another home start on Tuesday.

Only one of the four hits Skubal gave up stayed in the yard. Paul Goldschmidt got him to lead off the game and then again in his next at-bat. Then, Jasson Domínguez did too on the ninth pitch of a great battle as the second-to-last batter Skubal would face. Besides those three homers, Skubal forced 21 swings-and-misses and looked completely elite for most of his outing. His velocity is on par where it’s always been, his stuff looked crisp, and his command was mostly on point. Those homers were weird, but he looks back to the ace we know. Next up is a two-start week with another date against the Yankees and then the Rangers with both starts on the road.

The star southpaw punched out eight batters in the contest while issuing only one free pass. He served up a solo homer to Randal Grichuk in the first inning that was tucked just inside the foul pole in left. The White Sox then scratched out a run against him in fifth and Junior Perez added a solo shot in the sixth. Skubal got 13 swings and misses on 94 offerings in the ballgame, posting a strong CSW of 35 percent. He’ll try once again to earn his fourth victory as he carries a 3.02 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and a 57/8 K/BB ratio (53 2/3 innings) into Wednesday’s battle against the Yankees.

Skubal, making his first start in six weeks following his rapid recovery from elbow surgery, worked around a hit in the opening frame, striking out the final batter. The Guardians then brought an unearned run in to score on an error in the second. Daniel Schneemann took Skubal deep for a two-run blast in the third inning. Skubal would pitch into the fifth, leaving with two outs at 80 pitches, right at his pitch count goal for the day. Despite taking the loss on Saturday, perhaps the most important number of the day, just 38 days following surgery, was 97.8, his average fastball velocity. The 29-year-old left-hander will take a 2.81 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and a 49/7 K/BB ratio across 48 innings into a start against the White Sox in Detroit on Friday.

Skubal returns to Detroit’s rotation to face the division-rival Guardians on Saturday following a lightning-quick 38-day recovery from a minimally invasive NanoScope procedure to remove loose bodies from his elbow. The 29-year-old back-to-back reigning AL Cy Young Award winner draws a favorable matchup out of the gate against a Cleveland lineup that ranks 27th in OPS (.680) this season. He’s posted a sparkling 2.70 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 45/6 K/BB ratio across 43 1/3 innings over seven starts prior to hitting the injured list.

It’s a pretty remarkable turnaround for Skubal, who had elbow surgery to remove a bone chip a little over five weeks ago. He looked good in his rehab start at High-A thjs week with velocities that were in line with what we saw from him during the year. He can be fired up with confidence this weekend.

All indications are that Skubal will be cleared afterwards to make his lightning-quick return to Detroit’s rotation with a start against the Guardians later this week. He’ll make it back from an innovative NanoScope procedure to remove loose bodies from his elbow roughly five weeks after the procedure. The 29-year-old fantasy ace punched out six batters over five shutout innings during a 54-pitch minor league rehab start for High-A West Michigan on Sunday.

Skubal allowed just two hits on the afternoon and didn’t walk a batter. He needed just 54 pitches (44 strikes) to navigate his five frames, with his fastball touching as high as 99 mph. Expect him to make his highly anticipated return to the Tigers’ rotation next weekend.

Skubal will pitch in High-A rather than Triple-A because of weather concerns. Those poor kids. Skubal may only need one rehab start before he’s ready to go, as the NanoScope procedure appears to be cutting his time missed drastically. Assuming he looks good in the start, Skubal could be activated sometime next week.