Predicting What the Rest of the Season Will Look Like for Tigers Ace Tarik Skubal
In this story:
After a much-needed series win against the Los Angeles Angels, the Detroit Tigers were able to sneak out a victory against the Chicago White Sox to begin the week.
The Tigers were in quite a rut before winning the series against the Angels. Due to some struggles, things have suddenly become interesting in the American League Central with the Cleveland Guardians gaining ground quickly.
The Guardians have thrived despite not having their star closer Emmanuel Clase, and Detroit should be mindful of the threat. It was just last year where the Tigers went on a magical run to make the postseason as a Wild Card team.
While their lead in the division is still a comfortable one, Detroit likely wants to get back to playing the caliber of baseball that they did in the first half of the campaign. Fortunately, they have one of the best pitchers in baseball who can lead them to special things.
David Schoenfield of ESPN recently wrote about what to expect from Tigers ace Tarik Skubal for the rest of the season.
“With Cleveland drawing closer in the division, it will be interesting to see if the Tigers push Skubal a little harder. He has made six starts on four days of rest this season, but since the All-Star break, he has gone eight days, five days, six days, and five days between starts.”
After winning the AL Triple Crown and the AL Cy Young in 2025, Skubal is duplicating that impressive year once again. So far this campaign, he has totaled an 11-3 record, 2.35 ERA and 187 strikeouts in 145.1 innings pitched.
Is Skubal Having a Better Year in 2025?
If he can stay on this pace, Skubal will likely win his second consecutive AL Cy Young Award with arguably a better season.
What has been a bit interesting is the rest he has gotten down the stretch.
While keeping him fresh for the postseason is going to ultimately be key to their success, he has had some odd breaks.
Overall, this is a rotation that is lacking front-end talent outside of Skubal. While the depth is there now after the trade deadline, who will be a Game 2 starter for them in a playoff series is very up in the air right now.
The Tigers could be trying to save Skubal a bit for some potential starts on short rest in the playoffs, but that is a risky mindset to have. Detroit needs to get some momentum going if they are going to be a true contender in the AL come October.
Overall, there is no reason to believe that Skubal won’t finish the campaign strong and be the AL Cy Young winner this season.
Nick Ziegler is an alumnus of the Connecticut School of Broadcasting. He has been working in sports media covering the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL for nearly a decade with various publications online. With his free time, Nick enjoys being at the Jersey Shore with his wife, daughter, and their golden retriever. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @NickZiegler20.