Detroit Tigers Ace Tarik Skubal Faces Powerful New York Yankees Lineup

After allowing seven earned runs in his first two starts, Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal has a big challenge Tuesday afternoon against Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees.

Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal walks out of the dugout before Game 2 of ALDS in Cleveland. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tarik Skubal won the 2024 AL Cy Young award, but he's off to a bit of a shaky start this season.

Through two starts, Skubal has allowed seven earned runs, 12 hits and three home runs while walking four batters and striking out 10. He pitched just five innings against the Dodgers and was pulled after 5.2 innings against the Mariners.

Things don't get any easier in Skubal's third start, scheduled for 1:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday against the New York Yankees at Comerica Park in Detroit. The Yankees are second in MLB with 78 runs this season, behind the Cubs with 84.

The Tigers are favored on the money line at minus-172 odds. On the run line, you can bet the Tigers minus-1.5 at plus-144 odds and the Yankees plus-1.5 at minus-164 odds. The over/under is 7.5 runs, according to the FanDuel Sportsbook.

Skubal's strikeout line is set at 7.5, with minus-142 odds to go under and plus-112 odds to go over. Odds for Skubal to record over 17.5 outs are minus-196, and odds to go under are plus-148. He struck out just two batters in his start against the Dodgers, but followed that up with eight strikeouts against the Mariners. Skubal struck out eight or more batters in 13 of 31 starts last season, including a season-high 13 against the Reds.

Across 192 innings in 2024, Skubal totaled a league-high 228 strikeouts. He made two starts against the Yankees, the first on the road and the second at home. At Yankee Stadium, Skubal pitched six innings and allowed six hits and two earned runs while striking out 12 batters and walking none in a 5-2 loss. He also pitched six innings in the second start, allowing three hits and one earned run while walking four batters and stiking out five.

Yankees slugger Aaron Judge has the best odds to hit a home run at plus-300. Here's how the Yankees line up against Skubal.

• Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
• Ben Rice, DH
• Aaron Judge, RF
• Jazz Chisholm Jr., 2B
• Anthony Volpe, SS
• Austin Wells, C
• Jasson Dominguez, LF
• Trent Grisham, CF
• Oswald Peraza, 3B

Veteran right-handed pitcher Carlos Carrasco takes the mound for the Yankees. In 7.1 innings across two appearances, he has allowed 10 hits and six earned runs while walking two batters and striking out seven.

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