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Detroit Tigers Reveal When Cy Young Favorite Will Pitch in ALDS

Tarik Skubal will take the ball in ALDS against the Cleveland Guardians, but when?

Brady Farkas

Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) reacts after a strikeout against the Houston Astros in the sixth inning in game one of the Wild Card round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Minute Maid Park on Oct 1.
Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) reacts after a strikeout against the Houston Astros in the sixth inning in game one of the Wild Card round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Minute Maid Park on Oct 1. / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
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The Detroit Tigers open up the American League Division Series on Saturday afternoon against the Cleveland Guardians and now we know who Detroit will send to the mound.

Per Evan Woodbery of MLive, the Tigers will go with left-hander Tyler Holton in Game 1 of the servers while Cy Young favorite Tarik Skubal will pitch in Game 2.

This is significant for multiple reasons. First, Holton has only started nine games this year and acts purely as an opener. His last five outings have all been 2.0 innings or less. This means that the Tigers are likely to go deep into their bullpen in Game 1, which could have a major impact on the rest of the series.

Holton has been excellent this year, pitching to a 2.19 ERA in 94.1 innings. He's struck out 77 batters over 66 appearances. He's 7-2 on the season.

As for Skubal, him pitching in Game 2 is noteworthy because it could impact his ability for a Game 5, should there be one. Over in the National League, the Dodgers just moved Yoshinobu Yamamoto up to Game 1 so he'd be available for Game 5 if necessary in their series with the San Diego Padres.

Skubal is the Cy Young favorite in the American League and also captured the pitching Triple Crown.

Game 1 between the Guardians and Tigers is set for 1:08 p.m. ET at Progressive Field. Right-hander Tanner Bibee will get the ball for the Guardians, who are in the playoffs for the first time since 2022.

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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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