This story was originally published by Dead Spin
It’s been a big year for Tarik Skubal.
Not only was the Detroit Tigers left-hander selected to his first All-Star Game, but he also was enshrined in Seattle University’s Hall of Fame.
There likely will be a large contingent of Redhawks fans in attendance Wednesday night at T-Mobile Park when Skubal takes on the host Seattle Mariners.
Skubal (12-4, 2.57 ERA) is one of the leading contenders for the American League’s Cy Young Award and is in the running for a pitching Triple Crown. He leads the AL in ERA, is tied for first in strikeouts (162, with the Chicago White Sox’s Garrett Crochet) and is one back of Kansas City’s Seth Lugo and Baltimore’s Grayson Rodriguez in victories.
“It’s one thing to pitch when you sort of have upside,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said earlier this season. “There’s another thing to pitch when you have expectations. There’s another thing to pitch when the entire league is talking about you.
“If Tarik just stacks good outing after good outing after good outing, the numbers will take care of itself, the exposure will get there, the conversation will happen, and we’re gonna win a lot of games because the day that he pitches is a day we expect to win.”
Skubal is coming off a rare loss, having allowed five runs on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings Friday in a 9-2 decision against visiting Kansas City. That snapped Skubal’s four-game winning streak. Skubal is 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA in one previous start in Seattle.
Skubal will go against Mariners right-hander George Kirby (8-7, 3.04). Kirby didn’t get a decision his last time out, July 31 at Boston. He allowed two runs on seven hits over 5 1/ 3 innings in a game the Mariners lost 3-2 in 10 innings. In three previous starts against Detroit, Kirby is 1-2 with a 6.43 ERA.
The Tigers won the series opener 4-2 Tuesday night as rookie Keider Montero pitched six innings of one-run ball and Parker Meadows had two hits, including a homer, and two RBIs.
Meadows had a single to open the scoring in the fourth inning and hit a 415-foot blast in the eighth.
Meadows has two hits in each of his two games since nearly a monthlong stint on the injured list with a strained right hamstring.
“I think the biggest part of that, obviously, he’s getting better pitches to hit,” Hinch said. “His bats have been really good, his outs have been competitive, his damage is noteworthy tonight … his rehab was good, and his reintroduction back to this level has been very fun to see.”
Luke Raley homered for the Mariners, whose lead atop the American League West was cut to a half-game over Houston.
The Mariners got a scare in the seventh inning when Justin Turner, acquired at the trade deadline, was hit on the left hand by a 95-mph fastball from Will Vest.
Manager Scott Servais said after the game that X-rays on Turner’s hand were negative.
“You’re always nervous something is going to be fractured,” Servais said. “Hopefully, we dodged a bullet there, and we’ll see if he’s going to be available tomorrow or not. We’ll just have to wait and see when we get here to the ballpark.”
–Field Level Media
