The Detroit Tigers are currently in the spotlight due to a strong performance over the past few weeks, which has narrowed their gap to less than five games for the final American League wild card spot.
Although the Tigers lost to the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday, they remain a game above .500 and will be playing the Boston Red Sox on Friday at Comerica Park. Overall, the team is experiencing a positive turn.
A major factor in Detroit’s recent success is pitcher Tarik Skubal, who is a leading candidate for the AL Cy Young award. After Skubal’s most recent start on Sunday during the Little League Classic against the New York Yankees, manager A.J. Hinch stirred up some speculation.
Hinch suggested that Skubal might not pitch on normal rest moving forward, leading some to question whether the team might manage his workload more conservatively or even shut him down for the season.
However, before Thursday’s game, Hinch addressed this speculation on MLB Network. He confirmed that the team’s recent improvement had not led him to reconsider this plan. Hinch explained that Skubal’s adjusted pitching schedule is not about managing innings but rather due to the team’s September schedule.
“We have a lot of off-days in September,” Hinch noted. “People didn’t fully consider the schedule.”
Skubal is slated to pitch on Saturday against Los Angeles with an extra day of rest. Given the Tigers’ frequent off-days in September, Skubal will likely not pitch every fifth day. For instance, next week, a Tuesday off-day while traveling to San Diego will push the rotation back a day, potentially aligning Skubal for a Friday game against Oakland.
Following that, the Tigers will have another off-day on September 9 after the Oakland series, pushing Skubal’s next start to September 12 against Colorado.
The subsequent week allows for normal rest as the Tigers won’t have a day off until the following Thursday, making Skubal’s potential start on September 17 against Kansas City feasible if the team remains in contention.
If Skubal pitches on September 17, the Tigers’ schedule provides an off-day before and after their series with Baltimore, potentially allowing Skubal up to seven days’ rest before his final start of the season against Tampa Bay.
So, no shutdown is planned—just a manager taking advantage of the calendar and understanding the situation.
“There are natural breaks in the schedule that will provide rest for him,” Hinch said. “Watching him pitch every five or six days is a pleasure, and I have the best seat in the house.”
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