Tarik Skubal continues to make his case as one of the finest pitchers in all of Major League Baseball.
The Detroit Tigers ace dominated once again on Thursday, hurling 7.0 shutout innings and six strikeouts in a 4-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. Skubal’s record now improves to 7-2 on the season, and the performance was his fourth straight outing of seven or more innings. Additionally, Skubal has given up just one earned run in his last 30.2 innings of work.
Skubal’s ERA has now dipped below 2 for the first time this season, sitting at 1.99 after Thursday’s outing. Last season, his 2.39 ERA was tops in the American League, and second in all of MLB.
The reigning American League Cy Young Award winner has made a strong case to be considered for the award once again in 2025, his ERA currently sits fifth in the AL, and he leads the AL in strikeouts (111), and is tied for the league lead in WHIP with the Texas Rangers’ Nathan Eovaldi (0.81).
Skubal’s Tigers currently boast the best record in the American League at 45-25 and have the look of a serious World Series contender. They are 8 games ahead of the second-place Minnesota Twins in the AL Central, which is by far the widest margin between a first and second-place team in any division in Major League Baseball. They’ll look to continue their winning ways against the Cincinnati Reds on Friday for the first game of a three-game set.