The Tigers may have lost much more than just an 8-2 decision tonight to the Miami Marlins.
In the second inning, Javy Baez left the game after fouling off a ball that came up on him and nailed him in the face just below the eye. Baez immediately went to the ground but eventually left the field under his own power and was replaced by Trey Sweeney who finished the at-bat with a strikeout.
Then the fourth inning, the Tigers suffered an even bigger blow when Tarik Skubal exited the game with what was later described as tightness in his left side. You can even see the Tigers ace grasping at his side after his final pitch in the fourth inning before AJ Hinch and the trainer came out to check on him.
You could certainly tell something wasn’t right with Skubal all game who looked completely off during the outing tonight giving up four runs while throwing less than 50 pitches over 3.1 innings.
After the game, Skubal told reporters that tonight was the first time he ever took himself out of a game but didn’t want to do something that was going to cause him to “really miss some time”.
On the other hand, Hinch during his postgame mentioned to the media that Skubal told him that he could continue to throw but didn’t’ want to take any chances even opting to forgo any warmup pitches.
We’re expected to learn more about Skubal’s condition on Saturday as the right-hander is expected to fly back to Detroit for more tests. As far as Baez goes, Hinch confirmed that the veteran infielder who’s been incredibly versatile for Detroit this year is day-to-day and not believed to be in any sort of concussion protocol which is very good news.
However, Tigers fans and the organization will be holding their collective breaths regarding Skubal. The reigning AL Cy Young winner from 2024 has arguably once again been the best pitcher in baseball any potential long-term injury would be absolutely devastating for the Tigers who are on the cusp of an AL Central title and another trip to the postseason. This is especially when you consider the rotation is already without Jackson Jobe for the remainder of the year due to Tommy John surgery and Reese Olson who could return from a shoulder injury but only if the Tigers can make a deep run in the playoffs.