The Detroit Tigers' hopes for a deep run in the postseason may have been dealt a significant blow.
Tigers ace Tarik Skubal departed Friday's game against the Marlins with one out in the fourth inning. He grabbed his left rib cage area after throwing a 1-0 changeup to Marlins first baseman Eric Wagaman, immediately motioning to the Tigers' training staff. The Tigers announced that Skubal was experiencing tightness on his left side and is being evaluated.
Skubal had been wrapping up what may be a second consecutive Cy Young season. He entered Friday's contest with an American League-leading 2.10 ERA and a 0.856 WHIP in his 180 innings, striking out 222 batters with 28 walks.
He did not look like himself against the Marlins before departing due to his injury. Skubal had allowed three runs on four hits, including a pair of home runs, in 3.1 innings. He had been uncharacteristically prone to the home run since the beginning of August, allowing six homers in his previous 46.1 innings.
If Skubal is sidelined for a significant amount of time, the Tigers' World Series aspirations may be over. While Casey Mize has been a solid part of the rotation, Jack Flaherty has been a disappointment, leading the AL with 13 losses while looking more like the pitcher who struggled to a 4.42 ERA and a 1.398 WHIP from 2020 through 2023. Trade-deadline acquisitions Chris Paddack and Charlie Morton have been a disaster with Paddack losing his spot in the rotation over the final few weeks.
It remains to be seen how the Tigers will handle Skubal's spot in the rotation. Giving Paddack another chance to start is an option; however, he has allowed nine runs in just 7.1 innings of relief. Rookie Troy Melton has been impressive since being roughed up in his debut, allowing just five runs, four earned, in his 31 innings since, but he may be more valuable as a potential late-inning arm. Jose Urquidy was activated from the injured list and could be an option, but he did not throw more than 47 pitches in any of his rehab outings.
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