Marlins’ Sandy Alcantara to Face Tigers’ Tarik Skubal in Epic Cy Young Showdown

Sunday’s Miami-Detroit showdown could be one of the best pitching matchups of the entire regular season.

Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara. | Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

It’s one thing to have one team’s best pitcher face another team’s best pitcher. It’s another thing when it’s Sandy Alcantara against Tarik Skubal.

The Miami Marlins enter Sunday’s game with the Detroit Tigers trying to avoid beings swept at Comerica Park. As luck would have it, the Marlins will send Alcantara, their ace, to the mound to try and snap the losing streak.

Standing in the way of Miami’s 2022 National League Cy Young winner is the two-time defending American League Cy Young champion in Skubal, who like Alcantara is off to an incredible start to the season.

It’s best on best in Detroit on Sunday, with first pitch set for 12:40 p.m. ET.

Alcantara vs. Skubal

Sandy Alcántara, Nasty 91mph Changeup. 👌 pic.twitter.com/SqW1BRrYej

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 7, 2026

Alcantara is back in Cy Young form after he suffered an elbow injury that led to Tommy John surgery at the end of the 2023 season. He missed the 2024 season recovering and then got back to the mound last season, where the quality of his work improved during the season. He finished 11–12 record, and a 5.36 ERA but went 3-1 in September. Miami fended off trade offers for the right-hander, though the Marlins dealt Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weathers.

So far this season he is 2-0 with a 0.74 ERA in 24.1 innings, with 18 strikeouts and four walks. He took a no-decision in his last start, which saw him go 8.1 innings and finish two outs away from becoming the first pitcher in 11 years to throw back-to-back shutouts.

In the start before that he threw a “Maddux,” named for Baseball Hall of Fame starting pitcher Greg Maddux. That’s a complete game shutout in under 100 pitches. He allowed three hits, no runs, no walks and struck out seven against the Chicago White Sox in that contest. He enters this showdown with the Tigers with a career record of 54-67 with a 3.58 ERA.

Skubal’s numbers look a bit upside down by his standards. He is 1-2 in his first three starts with a 2.55 ERA. He has 16 strikeouts and two walks in 17.2 innings. In his last start against Minnesota, he went just 4.2 innings, as he struck out seven and walked two. He allowed eight hits and four earned runs.

But the left-hander has been brilliant for two seasons. In 2024 he went 18-4 with a 2.39 ERA and 228 strikeouts, as he won the AL pitching triple crown. Last season he went 13-6 with a. 2.21 ERA with 241 strikeouts.