Tarik Skubal To Start On Opening Day Against Dodgers
Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal will get the nod on Opening Day on March 27 against the World Series-champion Los Angeles Dodgers. "I'm looking forward to the challenge. You don't know how many Opening Days you're going to start in your career and I'm honored to be able to start two of them," Skubal said. It's no surprise that the 28-year-old southpaw will take the hill on Opening Day at Chavez Ravine after winning the American League Cy Young award unanimously in 2024. He will have a tough task on his hands on the road against the Dodgers, but fantasy managers that pay the high price to take Skubal early in drafts shouldn't be benching him. The former ninth-round pick in 2018 out of Seattle University led the league in WAR (6.3), wins (18), ERA (2.39), strikeouts (228) and FIP (2.49) in 192 innings and 31 starts in 2024 in his fifth year in the league with Detroit.
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Detroit Tigers and starting pitcher Tarik Skubal settled on a one-year contract with $10.15 million to avoid arbitration. Skubal was one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball last season en route to winning the American League Cy Young Award. Across 192 innings, which was a career-high, the southpaw posted a 2.39 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP with an 18-4 record. He generated a stellar 2.72 xERA and .208 xBA. He generated strikeouts at an elite 30.3% rate and whiffs at a 31.9% rate. He also limited hard contact at a solid 33.9% hard-hit rate. Fantasy managers should view Skubal as one of the top pitchers in baseball heading into the 2025 campaign. Given his elite strikeout ability and ability to limit hard contact, he is worthy of being viewed as the SP1 in all formats.
Tarik Skubal Wins 2024 American League Cy Young Award
Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal won the AL Cy Young Award on Wednesday, the first time the 28-year-old has won the award. The lefty dominated in his 15 starts in 2023 after his return from Tommy John surgery and backed it up with a full season of dominance in 2024. The southpaw went 18-4 while posting a 2.39 ERA -- FIP, xFIP, and SIERA were all under 3.00 as well -- with a 0.92 WHIP, and an elite 25.6% K-BB% in 31 starts (192 IP). The former ninth-round draft pick also made it to his first All-Star game this season. He'll certainly cost quite a bit more in 2025 fantasy drafts than he did this year, but so long as he can stay healthy, he has the repertoire to deliver on a high draft-day price tag.
Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal will take the ball for Game 5 of their ALDS series against the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday. Skubal tossed a seven-inning gem on Monday in Game 2 and will be pitching on full rest Saturday. The Tigers will likely get as much as they can out of the triple-crown winner, who has only thrown 92 and 88 pitches in his two postseason starts. He will surely go over the century mark in this one if he is pitching well. The Guardians are yet to name their starter, but whoever they pick will have to be on their A-game to match Skubal.
Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal (calf) is set to start Game 2 of the ALDS against the Cleveland Guardians. Skubal was dominant in his postseason debut on Tuesday against the Houston Astros despite dealing with calf cramping, pitching six shutout innings while striking out six. Skubal faced Cleveland just once this season and gave up 10 hits to the Guardians in July, though those 10 hits only yielded one run. The likely AL Cy Young winner has been very good against current Guardians hitters, who have only hit him for a .278 wOBA in 63 plate appearances. Only Jose Ramirez has had much success against Skubal when he's faced the Guardians, going 9-for-21 with three doubles and a triple against him. Skubal will be a must-start on Sunday in all DFS formats, though, and DFS managers shouldn't worry much about his 10-hit outing in July being replicated in October. If the 27-year-old can limit production from Ramirez, then it should be smooth sailing for Skubal and the Tigers.
MLive's Evan Woodbery expects Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal to pitch Games 2 and 5 of the American League Division Series against the division-rival Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Although it's unlikely, short-rest starts would allow Skubal, the pitching Triple Crown winner in the American League this year, to pitch in Game 1 and Game 3, plus Game 1 of a potential AL Championship Series on normal rest. Skubal, the front-runner for the AL Cy Young award, threw 88 pitches in the Game 1 win over the Houston Astros in the Wild-Card series on Tuesday. He worked exclusively on regular rest throughout the regular season, which makes him unlikely to start Game 1 of the ALDS on Saturday on short rest. Skubal has already thrown 198 innings in 2024, 50 more than his previous career-high, so using him on short rest in the playoffs would bring added risk.
Tarik Skubal Tosses Six Scoreless Innings For Game 1 Wild-Card Win
Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal dealt with several health scares but earned the win in Tuesday's Game 1 wild-card 3-1 game against the Astros. Skubal pitched six scoreless innings, allowing four hits and a walk with six strikeouts. The 27-year-old lefty took a comebacker off the base of his glove hand in the second inning and worked through cramping in the sixth inning. Skubal became just the third pitcher in Tigers history to post a scoreless outing of six or more innings in his postseason debut. This followed a regular season where he led the American League in ERA, wins, and strikeouts. Skubal emerged as a fantasy ace this season and will look to continue into the playoffs.
It was a fantastic season for Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal in 2024, as he finished first in the American League in wins (18), strikeouts (228) and ERA (2.39). Skubal has led the Tigers to a surprising postseason berth and is the overwhelming favorite to win the AL Cy Young. He is the first pitcher to win the Triple Crown since Shane Bieber in the COVID-shortened season of 2020. Skubal is the first pitcher to earn the Triple Crown in a full season since 2011, when both Justin Verlander and Clayton Kershaw did it. He became the 21st pitcher to win the pitching Triple Crown since earned runs became official in both leagues in 1913. Skubal also became the third pitcher in franchise history to win the TC, joining Verlander (2011) an Hal Newhouser (1945). He also joined Verlander (2007, 2009-11) and Max Scherzer (2013-14) as the only Tigers pitchers since 2000 to win 18 or more games in a season.
Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said on Thursday that it's "unlikely" that left-hander Tarik Skubal would pitch in the season finale on Sunday versus the division-rival Chicago White Sox if the Tigers have already clinched a postseason berth but are still playing for seeding. Skubal is the front-runner for the Cy Young award in the American League this year, but the Tigers would rather save him for the first game of the wild-card series next week if they punch their ticket to the playoffs before Skubal's next turn in the rotation on Sunday. The 27-year-old southpaw has been an absolute beast on the mound this year for Detroit, leading the league in wins (18), win percentage (.818), ERA (2.39), strikeouts (228), ERA+ (170) and FIP (2.49) in 192 innings over 31 starts. Whichever team lines up to face the red-hot Tigers is going to find it difficult to produce offense against Skubal in Game 1 if the Tigers make the playoffs.
Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said that left-hander Tarik Skubal's right hand checked out fine and he will start the third game in the upcoming series versus the division-rival Kansas City Royals next Wednesday. Skubal, one of the front-runners for the American League Cy Young in 2024, bruised his right (non-throwing) hand in his last outing on Thursday against the Colorado Rockies, but he still managed to throw six innings, allowing an earned run with no walks and six strikeouts in a no-decision. The matchup is a difficult one against the rising Royals next week, but Skubal has been matchup-proof all year and needs to be locked into starting lineups next week. The 27-year-old lefty has been lights-out in a breakout year, going 16-4 with a league-leading 2.50 ERA (2.56 FIP) while also leading the league with 214 strikeouts in 180 innings over 29 starts.
Tarik Skubal
• SP
•
Tigers
