Fastball

Detroit Tigers Ace Makes Odd Team History Not Seen in Last 20 Years

The Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Guardians on Monday night at left-hander Tarik Skubal made some odd team history that hasn't been since in the last 20 years.

Brady Farkas

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on July 22.
Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on July 22. / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
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The Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Guardians on Monday night, 8-2, at Progressive Field in Cleveland. With the win, the Tigers are closing in on .500 at 50-51. As a result, they are now 6.0 games back in the American League wild card race.

If they can make a push over the next week, perhaps they will go for it at the trade deadline and if they fall out of it, they seem like certain sellers.

In the win on Monday, Matt Vierling went 3-for-5 while Mark Canha went 3-for-4 as well. Rookie Colt Keith hit his 10th home run of the year.

On the mound, American League All-Star Tarik Skubal got the win after going 7.0 innings. He allowed 10 hits but just one earned run. He walked one and struck out six. He's now 11-3 with an impressive 2.34 ERA this season.

His interesting outing also made some team history that hasn't been seen for the last 20 years, according to @JayHayKid of the "Baseball is Dead" podcast:

Tarik Skubal is the first Tigers pitcher in over 20 years - Mike Maroth on April 17, 2004 - to allow 10+ hits, no more than 1 run and get the win.

It's been a brilliant year for Skubal, who is finally healthy after an injury-riddled 2023. If the Tigers elect to trade him at the deadline, he'll likely be the most coveted player on the market. If they elect to hold onto him, he looks like a true franchise building block.

The Tigers and Guardians will play again on Tuesday night.

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Brady Farkas

BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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