Detroit Tigers' Tarik Skubal Continues Bolstering Cy Young Resume
The Detroit Tigers are highly unlikely to make a big enough move in the standings to steal a playoff spot. Their approach to the 2024 MLB trade deadline reinforced that, as they traded away several veterans who are on expiring contracts.
For the remainder of the season, they will be focused on a few things. Getting their young players reps and playing spoiler to the best of their abilities are among them.
However, the No. 1 goal for the franchise should be doing everything they can to help ace Tarik Skubal win the Cy Young award. That is the one objective remaining for the franchise in 2024, as attention is being turned to 2025 and beyond.
On Wednesday, Skubal did his best to continue improving his resume to take home the prestigious award. His opponent for the night was the Seattle Mariners, who are right in the thick of the American League playoff race.
Jockeying for the top spot in the AL West with the Houston Astros, the Mariners need to win as many games as possible. Skubal presented a difficult roadblock, one that they ultimately could not overcome.
He pitched seven strong innings on Wednesday, giving up only three hits and two walks. All of the runs against Skubal came on one swing by Cal Raleigh, who hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning.
Adding nine strikeouts over his seven innings of work, Skubal helped lead Detroit to a 6-2 victory. Some recognition needs to go to electrifying rookie Parker Meadows, who robbed Raleigh of a second home run in the eighth inning that would have given Seattle a lead at the time.
Cal Raleigh was just completely robbed of what would’ve been a two-run, go-ahead homer -- and from another game where he would’ve homered from both sides of the plate.
— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) August 8, 2024
A remarkable catch by Parker Meadows. And it halts the Mariners’ rally in the 8th inning. pic.twitter.com/83TUoIfPf8
Wednesday was a homecoming of sorts for Skubal, who pitched collegiately at Seattle University. It was a successful outing, as he recorded his 13th win of the season, which leads the major leagues.
His 2.57 ERA is also the best mark in baseball, along with his 171 strikeouts and 166 ERA+. It will be interesting to see if he can keep those numbers up through the final weeks of the season, as he could set a career-high for innings pitched in his next start.
With 143.1 innings pitched thus far this season, he is only six away from tying his career-high set in 2021. If he can power through and not wear down, the Cy Young award looks like it is his to lose despite pitching for a team with a losing record.
Holding onto Skubal through the deadline was something that resulted in many heated debates. Did the Tigers make the right move holding onto their ace? If they want to contend in the near future, it was the smart thing to do.
KENNETH TEAPE
Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.