TARIK SKUBAL’S CY YOUNG AWARD CHANCES TOOK HIT
Free Press columnist Carlos Monarrez tackles three tough questions after the Detroit Tigers’ 5-4 win over the Oakland Athletics in Friday’s home opener:
Is Tarik Skubal really a Cy Young candidate?
The big lefty’s chances to become the Tigers’ first Cy
Young winner since Max Scherzer in 2013 took a hit when he struggled with his command late in his 61⁄3-inning outing. He was dominant early on his way to nine strikeouts through six innings with good location, movement and change of speed. But he gave up a two-run home run to Brent Rooker in the sixth on a bad slider. In the seventh, he gave up a solo homer to Abraham Toro and was pulled after he walked the next batter. He was credited with a total of four earned runs with four hits and two walks.
The worst part of this outing for Skubal and his potential as an elite pitcher is that it came against the anemic A’s, who entered Friday with just 15 runs scored (third fewest in the majors) through their first seven games. Not a terrible outing, but not elite. If Skubal can resume his excellence over his next three or four starts, especially against better teams like the Twins and Rangers, we should learn a lot more about his viability as the American League’s best pitcher.
What does this fast start mean for the Tigers?
The Tigers came in hot for their home opener, winning five of their first six games. Their 5-4 victory over Oakland improved their start to 6-1 on the season. That’s a welcome change for a team that has started too slowly too often under manager A.J. Hinch. Of course, we have to remember the level of competition, while facing the subpar Chicago White Sox, New York Mets and A’s. But that doesn’t change the fact the Tigers at least are doing what they’ve struggled to do in the past by failing to beat the beatable teams. I asked Hinch before the game about the raised expectations and he said he wants fans and his players to expect winning.
“It doesn't mean you're going to be perfect,” he said. “It doesn't mean you're going to win every game. You can't pop off when you haven't earned it. But I'm glad our fans are excited. We’ve got, we got our hands full with the competition every single day. So you won't hear us brag a ton about what's been done in the rearview mirror.” It’s a good answer because it’s a fine line between delivering early and buying too much into your own hype.
What stood out in the home opener?
The celebratory atmosphere never disappoints. This has been a baseball town for so long that the sport and the team courses through Detroit’s blood, even if some of the livelier refreshments diluted that blood on a nippy day that featured a few snowflakes. The biggest surprise and addition was the enlarged and augmented video board that grew by 9,500 square feet. It’s noticeably bigger but also crisper and offers more real-time information that’s easier to see. It’s part of several $30 million upgrades that were necessary for a stadium that celebrated its 25th home opener. And if the Tigers’ struggling offense keeps going this way — they scored just four runs against starter J.P. Sears, who entered with a 12.27 ERA — the team won’t have to worry about burning out too many pixels on the hits and runs portion of the scoreboard.