Tarik Skubal Avoids Serious Injury, Expected to Make Next Start for Tigers

The Detroit Tigers have avoided the worst.

Manager A.J. Hinch told reporters on Saturday that the imaging on ace pitcher Tarik Skubal came back clean after he left his Friday start with discomfort in his side. Skubal plans on making his next start as the Tigers look to clinch the AL Central and top overall seed in the American League playoffs.

Skubal essentially took himself out of the contest in the fourth inning, motioning to Hinch and a team training staff member after inducing an Eric Wagaman flyout. He told reporters after the game he was "optimistic" the injury wouldn't be anything too serious.

"There are some aches and pains that come and go when you're out there playing. This one was new to me," he added. "And that's kind of what made my decision for me."

Skubal threw 45 pitches on Friday night, giving up four hits and four earned runs with a pair of strikeouts.

It was one of his worst starts of the season, injury notwithstanding, though he's certainly set the standard incredibly high. The 28-year-old is the frontrunner to win his second consecutive American League Cy Young Award, leading the AL in WAR (6.3) and leading all of baseball in WHIP (0.86). Overall he's 13-5 on the season with a 2.26 ERA and 224 strikeouts in 183.1 innings.

Skubal is an enormous reason why the Tigers (84-64) hold a 7.5-game lead in the AL Central and are just 1.5 games back of the Toronto Blue Jays (85-62) for the top overall seed in the American League. Losing him for any stretch in October would be a borderline fatal blow for the team's title aspirations.

For now, it sounds as though the worst has been avoided as the entire city of Detroit breathes a deep sigh of relief.