Tarik

Skubal

Skubal was cruising early in this one, allowing just one run in the first four innings on a bloop double down the right field line. But he came out for the top of the sixth, gave up two singles and a 2-RBI double to Blake Perkins, and left. The Tigers bullpen let his inherited runner score as well. A 2.72 ERA is very, very good. It’s also fair to say that Skubal’s been a bit disappointing compared to first-round expectations. He’ll look to bounce back against the Braves next week.

Skubal was sharp to start his day, tossing three perfect frames before walking the leadoff man in the fourth. He got into some trouble in the fifth, loading the bases on two hits and a walk. The Red Sox would bring just one run home on a groundout. Skubal allowed the first two runners to reach in the sixth before leaving them stranded once again. Ten strikeouts on 19 whiffs certainly help. The 29-year-old left-hander ends the day with an excellent 2.08 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and a 33/6 K/BB ratio across 30 1/3 innings. He’ll take on the Brewers in Detroit on Thursday.

Skubal struck out seven, finishing with 11 whiffs on 44 swings and a 30-percent CSW. With his velocity and strikeout rate down a tad, he still hasn’t had a vintage Skubal outing just yet, even if he has allowed one run or fewer in three of his four outings. Maybe it’ll happen against the Red Sox next weekend.

Skubal did strike out seven while getting the Twins to swing and miss 19 times on 51 attempts, and only four balls registered as hard hits. His command was clearly off, however, and he gave up eight hits and two walks in one of his worst outings of the past two seasons. These things happen. Expect Skubal to bounce back just fine Sunday when he faces a not-so-great Miami Marlins’ lineup.

Don’t get me wrong, Skubal was great here. Any time a pitcher allows one run they can head back to the locker room and feel like they did their job. At the same time, he was not sharp in this one. The Diamondbacks scorched 11 hard-hit balls and Skubal had to work around all that hard contact to keep that lone run on the board. On top of that, the lowly seven swings-and-misses he forced tied his fewest in a single game going back to the start of the 2024 season. His pitch movements were mostly normal and velocity was fine, again he just wasn’t his usual sharp self. That’s what an ace does though: work a great start without their best stuff. Skubal is scheduled to face the Twins next time out.

The two-time reigning American League Cy Young award winner punched out six on the afternoon and did not allow a base on balls. The lone tally against him came on an RBI double off the bat of Xander Bogaerts in his final inning of work. Skubal got 11 swings and misses on 74 pitches on the day — nine of those on his changeup — while registering a CSW of 34 percent. As long as he stays healthy, there’s no reason to expect that he won’t challenge for the Cy Young award yet again. His next test will come on Wednesday against the Diamondbacks in Arizona.

Skubal’s final spring start was far from his best, although he did strike out five and didn’t issue a walk. The defending Cy Young winner will be on the bump against the Padres on Thursday in San Diego. If you’re at all concerned about Skubal’s spring numbers, maybe go for a walk or go see a movie and stop thinking about baseball for a while.

The run came on a Daulton Varsho homer in the fourth. Back from the World Baseball Classic, Skubal remains in line to start on Opening Day. He threw 44 of his 61 pitches for strikes today, and he has a 12/1 K/BB in 9 2/3 innings in his three spring starts for the Tigers.

Team USA could not guarantee Holmes enough innings to stay ready for the regular season, so back to Mets camp he goes. Also exiting the Team USA roster for the quarterfinal round are Michael Wacha, Ryan Yarbrough, and Tarik Skubal. Replacements for those three are Will Vest, Tyler Rogers, and Tim Hill. The team has not yet announced a replacement for Holmes, but Joe Ryan is expected to be in the mix.

The 29-year-old southpaw plans to leave after Monday’s contest against Mexico to rejoin the Tigers’ camp in Lakeland. Skubal had been pushing to make another start after taking the mound against Great Britain over the weekend, and it sounds like the Tigers were going to support his decision, so either he had a change of heart or his agent, Scott Boras, shut the idea down. Now he’ll finish getting himself ready for his Opening Day assignment against the Padres.