The Detroit Tigers have themselves an ace in the making. Tarik Skubal has only allowed 30 hits and eight walks in his last 10 starts while striking out 77 batters. The only other pitchers in MLB history to hit or better those marks during any 10-game span: Chris Sale, Corbin Burnes and Jacob deGrom. With a 4-0 record, 1.72 ERA, 41 strikeouts and six walks over 36 2/3 innings, Skubal made history for himself.
Tarik Skubal Continues Excellence on the Mound
The left-hander is the first pitcher in Tigers history with 40+ strikeouts and less than nine walks through his first six starts. Kansas City Royals manager, Matt Quatraro, praised Skubal after he struck out six over seven innings in Sunday’s game.
“He’s one the best pitchers in the league,” Quatraro said. “Upper 90s [velocity], location, plus changeup, curveball, you name it. He’s going to be a challenge for everybody.”
Funny enough, it’s the Royals who are making life difficult for Skubal. He came into Sunday’s start with a 1-7 record and a 5.09 ERA in 11 meetings against the Royals. Skubal hasn’t beaten Kansas City since 2021. It was the resulting performance that flipped the switch for Skubal’s history against the Tigers division rivals. The seven innings of work was the deepest Skubal has pitched into a game against Kansas City. He beat them for the first time in six meetings at Comerica Park.
Why Skubal Is Having a Stellar Season
Tarik Skubal’s numbers from his last 10 starts are ridiculous! 30 hits, 8 walks, 77 strikeouts, and only 8 earned runs! https://t.co/mviXn152Qc
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) April 29, 2024
Skubal was consistent with his four-seam fastball in years past. However, She’s connecting with his changeup too, drawing whiffs on 11 of the 29 changes he threw- six more than he got on his 63 other throws combined.
“He knows what he’s doing with how he disrupts timing. You may ambush him once and get away with it but he’s a smart guy who knows how the art of pitching works,” said Tigers manager A.J. Hinch.
Simply put, Skubal has been a top-15 pitcher in baseball since his return last July. His fastball continued to hover around the 95.8 mph range last year, and it only got better this year. He finished the year second in WHIP (0.90) and sixth in era (2.80) across the league. Not even Spencer Strider or Gerrit Cole, who had a higher fWAR (3.3) than Skubal from July through the end of the season. On Opening Day, Skubal’s first such honor, he picked up where he left off, striking out six batters over six shutout innings.
If he continues to keep up this pace and performance, Skubal will emerge as a dark horse candidate for the American League Cy Young Award.
“I haven’t had a winning season in the big leagues and I’m kind of sick of it,” Skubal said to FOX Sports. “I want to win, I’m going to try everything I can to win. As far as the spotlight, I don’t really care.”
Main Photo: © Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
