Tarik Skubal's Impeccable Start Extends Tigers Streak Not Seen in Decade
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It is typically quite difficult to find positives when a team is losing, but the Detroit TIgers, specifically the starting rotation, is performing in ways that are pretty difficult to ignore.
After the infamous Tarik Skubal took the mound in the final win against the Miami Marlins to secure the sweep, he added to a near-perfect stat line by Tigers starting pitchers in the last four starts.
Per the Tigers' PR team via X:
"With this outing, Skubal is the fourth Tigers starter in a row to throw at least 5.2 IP and allow no more than one run. It is the team's longest such streak in a single season since doing it five games in a row from July 30 - Aug. 4, 2013."
In 2013, Detroit finished the season 93-69 to win the AL Central. The team then went on to lose the ALCS 4-2. The Tigers are definitely looking for a much better finish this year, as the ballclub has been shut out in the postseason with back-to-back journeys home after the ALDS.
A start from Skubal was finally not wasted, as it never should be. The two-time Cy Young winner went nearly seven innings where he retired seven hitters with one lone run. A clean sweep for the Tigers.
Recent Starts for Tigers Pitchers
Back-to-back Cy Young Award winner, Skubal, always takes the headlines, so watching him be a part of this is not surprising whatsoever, but seeing 25-year-old Keider Montero take over this season is incredible to watch.
Montero took the mound in the opener against the Miami Marlins and the Tigers' pitching staff held one of the best offenses in baseball scoreless led by the start from Montero. Montero's start was more than comparable to Skubal's as he went over six innings while striking out seven batters.
solid start for Skub 💪 pic.twitter.com/45is0gav4H
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) April 12, 2026
The next win against the Marlins to secure the series came at the arm of Casey Mize. Mize went nearly six innings and only allowed a single run. That is exactly what the ballclub needs from its pitchers if they want to take back the division.
The lone starter who didn't take a W in this stretch was Jack Flaherty, who was on the tail end of Detroit's losing streak. Flaherty finished 5.2 innings with a measly inning scored against the Minnesota Twins, but the Tigers ended up falling short in a lagging offensive showcase.
After quite the showcase by the Tigers' pitchers, they have earned the day off before taking on the Kansas City Royals. Despite a 3-1 record from these performances, Detroit still sits under .500. This ballclub needs to take this momentum and get rolling at this point of the season.
Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.