Unless the front office decides against dealing him, Tarik Skubal will make his last start as a member of the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday afternoon in the finale of a three-game series against the visiting Baltimore Orioles.
Skubal, 29, has extra motivation to pitch on Wednesday — he needs one more strikeout to reach 1,000 for his career.
“I’m pitching tomorrow,” the left-hander said before Tuesday’s game. “I got something cool that I want to accomplish at home, so that won’t change.”
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said he has no plans to hold out his ace as Monday’s trade deadline approaches.
“We’re trying to win the series, so it puts us in a better position to be a playoff team,” Hinch said before the Tigers’ 14-0 thumping of the Orioles on Tuesday. “The information I have is, win the series. We obviously need to win tonight to put us in that position. But I fully expect him to start.”
Skubal (7-5, 2.70 ERA) needed a few starts after his elbow procedure in early May to get back into a Cy Young groove. He’s regained that form in his last two outings.
On July 18, Skubal blanked the Los Angeles Angels for seven innings, limited them to five hits without a walk while striking out nine in a 7-0 victory. On Friday, he held the Kansas City Royals to one run and four hits in 7 1/3 innings of a 2-1 win. He walked two and struck out a season-high 12 batters.
He’s overpowered the Orioles in five career starts, posting a 4-1 record and a 1.17 ERA, with 38 strikeouts in 30 2/3 innings.
With much less fanfare, Baltimore left-hander Trevor Rogers is another coveted left-handed starter who could be dealt over the next week. Rogers, who will be Skubal’s mound opponent on Wednesday, consistently has provided quality innings the last two months after a rough April and May.
Rogers (6-7) has a 1.80 ERA over nine starts, lowering his season ERA to 4.17. He has given up just five earned runs in his last six starts but has three consecutive no-decisions due to a lack of run support.
In his last outing on Friday, he held Atlanta to two runs in seven innings without issuing a walk as Baltimore lost 7-6 in 10 innings.
“Rog was outstanding (Friday),” Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said. “He threw the ball extremely well, real efficient, pounding the strike zone. He did an outstanding job for us.”
Rogers is headed for free agency unless he signs an extension. With starting pitching at a premium, Rogers may be making his last start in an Orioles uniform.
“It really just goes back to controlling what I can control,” Rogers said of the trade deadline. “At the end of the day, I can’t control it.”
He’s been extremely efficient with the things under his control since taking a 2-6 record and 6.84 ERA into June.
“I’m being really consistent right now. That’s probably what I’m most happy about,” Rogers said.
Rogers gave up four runs in 4 2/3 innings to Detroit on May 24. He’s 1-1 with a 3.72 ERA in two career outings against the Tigers.
Detroit snapped a three-game losing streak with its lopsided victory on Tuesday. The Tigers scored in every at-bat, with a huge boost from Eduardo Valencia.
Brought up from Triple-A Toledo earlier in the week, Valencia pounded two homers and drove in four runs. Valencia is now the team’s No. 2 catcher, as Jake Rogers was designated for assignment on Tuesday.
–Field Level Media
