Skubal makes final case for starting role in Midsummer Classic

DETROIT -- If Tarik Skubal wanted to make a final case for an All-Star Game start, Friday night at Comerica Park gave him the setting: A Dodgers lineup with four All-Stars and two MVPs, a sellout crowd that included a good number of Tigers and Dodgers fans, and an atmosphere that had some intensity to it.

But as Skubal digested his latest display, with eight strikeouts over six innings of two-run ball, he wasn’t worried about the résumé, just the result.

“For sure, you could feel it as a player. You could feel the buzz in the park when I walked out [to warm up] today,” Skubal said after the Tigers’ 4-3 loss in front of 42,060. “That was awesome. Obviously, you want to win in front of those crowds when there’s however many thousands of people here. But we didn’t, so … Do it tomorrow.”

While Skubal and others await word on who will start for the American League in next Tuesday’s All-Star Game -- Skubal, White Sox lefty Garrett Crochet, Royals righty Seth Lugo and Baltimore righty Corbin Burnes all have strong cases -- Skubal demonstrated his readiness for a high-intensity environment.

If two 99-plus mph fastballs in a 12-pitch opening inning didn’t sufficiently reflect his adrenaline, his reaction to striking out the middle of the Dodgers lineup in order in the second inning did, as did his scramble to barehand a fourth-inning comebacker and fling a throw to first for an out after losing his glove.

“He’s a firecracker,” catcher Jake Rogers said. “He was just going after guys. He’s always kind of like that. He was jawing at [plate umpire] John [Libka] a couple times, like he does with umpires, and I told John, ‘I’m sorry. He’s just competing his butt off out there.’”

Skubal would preferably not carry that kind of intensity into the All-Star Game next Tuesday at Globe Life Field. But for the most part, he channeled his adrenaline in productive fashion.

Will Smith, whose 1.071 OPS against lefties entering Friday ranked third-highest in MLB, struck out three times against a left-handed starter for just the fourth time in his career, putting Skubal in a club with Philadelphia’s Ranger Suárez (June 9, 2023), former Tiger Robbie Ray (June 25, 2019 for Arizona) and Friday’s other starter, James Paxton (Aug. 23, 2019 for Yankees). Skubal fanned him with a 99 mph heater in the first inning and a changeup in the fourth before spotting a 98 mph heater in the sixth.

Skubal fanned five of the Dodgers’ first seven batters, and retired their first eight in order before Javier Báez committed an error on a Kiké Hernández ground ball with two outs in the third. His changeup wasn’t just a weapon against the seven right-handed hitters in the Dodgers’ lineup, but also left-handed-hitting All-Star sluggers Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman. After fanning Smith with the changeup to begin the fourth, Skubal stole a first-pitch strike on Freeman with a changeup in the fourth inning. With a 1-2 count, he had Freeman set up for another change.

“I think it’s just a good weapon to lefties,” Skubal said. “I don’t think lefties in general see a ton of left-on-left changeups. Usually it’s spin.”

Right pitch, wrong location.

“Right down the middle,” Skubal said.

Skubal could live with the resulting 405-foot drive to right-center for Freeman’s 14th home run of the season. What frustrated him was the walk to Teoscar Hernández that followed and the Andy Pages single that scored Hernández from second.

By the time Skubal retired Chris Taylor, he had a 31-pitch inning, though he still had a lead.

“Other than that, they didn’t really threaten much,” Skubal said. “But when our team gives you a three-run lead and then you give back two, probably gotta be better than that.”

Skubal regrouped from there, retiring his final seven batters in order. With two runs over six innings, he closed his first-half ERA at 2.41, lowest by a Tigers starter before the All-Star break since Michael Fulmer’s 2.11 ERA in 2016.

“That’s a tough lineup to go through multiple times,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “Obviously they showed why.”

Skubal’s 101 pitches gave him his longest outing (by pitch count) since June 28, 2022. That shouldn’t prevent him from throwing an inning in the Midsummer Classic on short rest Tuesday. The only question is when in the game he'll throw.