Yankees Announce Starting Pitchers for Tigers Series: Can Weathers Outlast Skubal?

The Bronx Bombers will come face-to-face with their rumored top trade target this week. Can they beat him in the Motor City?

The Yankees need Ryan Weathers at the top of his game if they want to beat Tarik Skubal and the Tigers in the series finale. | Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

With losses in three of their last four outings after a series defeat to the Reds, the Yankees will return to the road for two away series this week. The first of the pair kicks off in the Motor City on Monday evening, as the Yankees will face the Tigers—an oft-projected trade partner for general manager Brian Cashman—for a three-game series at Comerica Park.

Although their season hasn't been perfect, momentum is on the Tigers' side this week after sweeping the White Sox at home over the weekend. That's worth noting, since the Yankees are only 2-5 in their last seven trips to Detroit, including a 1-2 record, and being outscored 14-6 on aggregate last season.

Despite what the standings say, the Yankees can't afford to treat the Tigers lightly. They'll need a complete effort to emerge victorious, and that begins with how the Bronx Bombers' starting pitchers—who've officially been unveiled—perform.

Here are the upcoming starting pitching matchups for this week's Yankees-Tigers series.

Monday, June 22 (6:10 p.m. ET): Gerrit Cole (NYY) vs. Framber Valdez (DET)

The three guarantees in life are death, taxes and Gerrit Cole owning the Tigers. He was originally supposed to face the Reds on Sunday, but the Yankees opted to promote and spot-start Elmer Rodríguez instead to give their veterans some rest.

The six-time MLB All-Star holds a ridiculous 10-1 record and 1.84 ERA across 14 all-time starts against Detroit, having not lost to the American League Central club since April 14, 2016—a stretch of 11 games anchored by a 1.68 ERA. In fact, two of his last four meetings vs. the Tigers saw Cole pitch at least six scoreless innings.

Gerrit Cole has dominated the Tigers throughout his career. Will that continue in Detroit this week? | John Jones-Imagn Images

Cole seems to be in a good place to continue that success. Other than his run-in with the Guardians at the beginning of the month, the 35-year-old righty has been solid after missing all of last year, pitching to a 2.57 ERA in five starts while striking out 24 batters over 28 innings. He just struck out six in last week's 12-2 win over the White Sox, giving every reason to believe he can dominate another AL Central foe.

Opposing Cole will be Framber Valdez, who's 3-5 with a 4.09 ERA through his first 15 starts as a Tiger. The former Astros hurler has been tough to predict this season, as four of his last eight starts saw him surrender four-plus earned runs while he finished with two or fewer in the other quartet—including six scoreless innings vs. Houston in his last start on June 16.

Nevertheless, it's impossible to ignore that Valdez is 0-2 with a 7.22 ERA in six career games against the Yankees. Throw in the fact that New York ranks first in slugging percentage (.459) and second in OPS (.795) vs. lefties this season, and it's clear that Cole has the edge here.

Yankees-Tigers Game 1 pitching advantage: NYY

Tuesday, June 23 (6:40 p.m. ET): Carlos Rodon (NYY) vs. Casey Mize (DET)

As a former White Sox player, Carlos Rodón is more than familiar with the Tigers, having faced them nine times from 2015 to 2021. Having said that, the Miami, FL native hasn't had much success against Detroit since moving to New York, going 0-4 with a putrid 8.53 ERA since the start of the 2023 campaign.

Fortunately, Rodón's recent performances have been more encouraging. The three-time All-Star has earned three wins without a loss in his last four outings, all while striking out 24 batters with eight earned runs allowed on 17 hits across 23 innings—good for a 3.13 ERA. He's also limited opposing batters to a .207 batting average during this stretch, per Baseball Savant.

Carlos Rodón has pitched four consecutive outings without a loss. Will that streak continue against the Tigers? | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Rodón is likely salivating at the thought of facing the Tigers, who've been awful against left-handed pitching this season. They're batting .221 (28th) with 144 hits (27th) when taking on southpaw hurlers this season, also slugging .374 (22nd).

Meanwhile, the Tigers will be starting Casey Mize, who's only 2-4 but owns a career-best 2.58 ERA in 10 starts so far. He won't rack up a ton of strikeouts; however, he's effective at keeping his opponents off base. Having said that, Mize doesn't get much support from his teammates, as the Tigers are 3-7 in his starts thus far and have scored two or fewer runs in four of his last five outings.

Rodón's recent history vs. the Tigers is ugly, but his recent play combined with Mize's lack of run support puts him in a good spot to beat Detroit for the first time since 2022.

Yankees-Tigers Game 2 pitching advantage: NYY

Wednesday, June 24 (6:40 p.m. ET): Ryan Weathers (NYY) vs. Tarik Skubal (DET)

The Yankees will have a big scouting opportunity when they face Tigers ace Tarik Skubal in Wednesday's series finale. The two-time AL Cy Young winner—a pending unrestricted free agent this winter—is the No. 1 trade candidate ahead of the August deadline, with New York consistently named as one contender in the mix for his services.

Skubal has endured a rocky 2026 campaign marred by injury, but he's still managed to pitch to a 3-3 record and 3.02 ERA in his first nine appearances. He'll attempt to inch closer to his Cy Young form when he faces a Yankees team against which he's 2-1 with a 1.50 ERA in the last five meetings.

Tarik Skubal has plenty of recent success vs. the Yankees. Can New York avoid falling to him again? | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In other words, the Yankees will need a tremendous showing from Ryan Weathers if they hope to beat Skubal.

New York fans are aware that Weathers has had more cloudy performances than sunny ones lately. After going 2-2 with a 3.00 ERA in his first eight starts, the 26-year-old lefty is 0-3 with a 5.55 ERA in his last six appearances, allowing five-plus earned runs four times. He did rebound with a one-run, eight-strikeout performance against the White Sox on Thursday, but it remains to be seen if that was the start of a turnaround or an outlier amid an ugly stretch.

Even after that performance, it's hard to imagine someone outdueling Skubal nine times out of 10. The Yankees could have a better shot if Cam Schlittler were starting, but that isn't the case here, so fans should prepare for potential disappointment.

Yankees-Tigers Game 3 pitching advantage: DET

The Yankees should have the pitching edge in the series's first two contests, but Skubal gives the Tigers an undeniable advantage for the finale—especially if Weathers slips up again. Nevertheless, New York should feel confident about its outlook in the Motor City to start the week.

Overall series advantage: Yankees