Tigers' Tarik Skubal Takes Loss in Rusty First Start Back vs Guardians

The veteran looked like he missed some time due to injury.

Scenes from Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal's rehab start with the West Michigan Whitecaps on Sunday, June 7, at LMCU Ballpark in Comstock Park. | Lenny Padilla / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Detroit Tigers lost the series and Saturday's afternoon matinee against the Cleveland Guardians 3-1 and will look to salvage the final game of the series on Sunday. But there was a bigger storyline that Tigers fans were following than losing the game.

Tarik Skubal made his first start back for the Tigers since undergoing elbow surgery on May 8. Skubal only lasted 4.2 innings and gave up three runs on five hits while walking one and striking out four.

Not a terrible outing for the veteran lefty, but his first start back was a rusty one. Usually Skubal is one to get a ton of strikeouts and last six innings or longer when he has good stuff and is firing on all cylinders.

But his first start back is definitely one that he is going to want back and do everything he can to improve on. Fans should not be upset about the way that Skubal's outing went especially knowing that the Tigers had every opportunity to win the game.

Skubal gave his team a chance to win knowing that they only lost 3-1 and ended up with nine base hits to the Guardians' eight base hits. And the fact that the Tigers had three baserunners and first and third with two outs in the first and only scored one run.

Skubal also had very tough innings across the board on Saturday as he did not have one clean inning. He had given up baserunners in every inning that he pitched, but the veteran knows better and should be stronger his next outing for manager AJ Hinch.

Hinch and staff should not be worried about Skubal moving forward

Despite the loss and knowing that it was his first start back in quite some time and there was rust to go along with it, Skubal should be fine. Hinch and company should know that Skubal is going to learn from it and the next time he goes out there, the result will be better.

It is like the other guys that the Tigers have on their starting staff like Framber Valdez and Jack Flaherty and others that have bounced back recently. All of them have struggled this year but are slowly learning from mistakes and figuring it out.

Jun 5, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Framber Valdez (59) throws a pitch against the Seattle Mariners in the first inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

The same can be said for Skubal and he will come out again and be firing on all cylnders and back to his normal self. It was to be expected that he be rusty his first time back, but overall, fans should not be worried.