The spotlight will be on two-time reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal on Saturday night when the Detroit Tigers try for a series win over the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif.
The left-handed Skubal (5-5, 3.09 ERA), a free agent at the end of the season, is expected to be the most coveted pitcher available at the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
Skubal, who has won two of his last three starts, is 1-1 with a 2.96 ERA in four career starts against the Angels, including 1-0 with a 1.38 ERA in two starts at Angel Stadium.
There has been speculation that Detroit could retain Skubal if the Tigers, who improved to 23-14 since June 1 with a 2-1 comeback win in Friday’s series opener, can put together a strong run before the trade deadline.
Due in part to a dismal 6-22 May, the Tigers enter Saturday’s game in fourth place in the American League Central — 6 1/2 games behind the surprising first-place Chicago White Sox — and are 3 1/2 games out of the AL’s final wild-card spot.
Skubal told reporters on Sunday that he will not get distracted by the trade speculation.
“If we’re going to try to ride the roller coaster of every single game after a loss or a win, you guys can write it; I’m not gonna,” Skubal said. “I’m going to stay pretty even throughout. My belief will never change in these guys.”
Detroit started a six-game road trip with a ninth-inning comeback over the Angels on Friday. Hao-Yu Lee lined a two-out, two-run double to the fence in right-center off reliever Kirby Yates for the eventual game-winning hit for the Tigers.
“When you can sneak out a win after the way the first eight-plus innings went, that clubhouse should be loud,” Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said. “We earned it.”
Detroit was 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and hadn’t gotten a runner past second base before Lee’s double.
“We really had a hard time kick-starting our offense tonight,” Hinch said. “Just weren’t putting back-to-back at-bats together.”
It was the 11th loss in the last 13 games for the Angels. They joined the Rockies, who also lost Friday night, as the first two teams in the majors to hit the 60-loss mark this season.
Right-hander Grayson Rodriguez (3-2, 7.55 ERA), who has had success against the Tigers during his career, will start for the Angels on Saturday.
Rodriguez is 2-0 with a 0.60 ERA in three career starts against the Tigers, with 20 strikeouts in 15 innings. He picked up the win in a 7-1 victory at Detroit on May 28, when he allowed one run on two hits and two walks over five innings while striking out five.
Rodriguez won his last start at Minnesota, 4-3 on July 10, allowing three runs on six hits over 5 1/3 innings. It was his first big league appearance since he went on the injured list on June 15 with lower back tightness.
“He pitched well,” Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said. “His changeup was working. It was working really good. He had some life on his fastball. He was throwing strikes, attacking the zone. Good first start, for sure.”
–Field Level Media
