Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers is facing off against his top AL Cy Young competition in Hunter Brown of the Houston Astros on Tuesday night's matchup.
It's shaping up to be one of the most highly anticipated matchups of the season, as the winner could end up with the edge in the Cy Young race. Both pitchers know the stakes, and they shared their respect for one another recently.
In a piece from Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic, Brown shared high praise for Skubal, making a simple statement on Skubal's greatness, while also expressing belief in his lineup being able to get to the 2024 Cy Young winner.
Brown Praises Skubal, Believes in Astros Lineup
"What's really not to like?" Brown said. "The guy throws a bunch of strikes. Doesn't walk people. Reigning Cy Young. So he's doing his thing. But I know the guys will come out ready to try to jump on him and put us in a position to win the game."
Brown's first line summarizes how great Skubal has been this year. The 28-year-old Cy Young winner from a year ago is having another great season, and Brown's acknowledgement is further proof of how great he's been.
This season, Skubal has an American League-best 5.5 WAR, 2.42 ERA, .786 winning percentage (on a 11-3 record), 172 ERA+, and 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings.
But that's not all. Skubal has been great this year. He has 190 strikeouts, only six behind Garrett Crochet for the MLB lead. Skubal has the best FIP (2.26), WHIP (0.873), walks per nine innings (1.4), and strikeout-to-walk ratio (8.26) in MLB this season.
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Overall, it's looking like the two-time All-Star is the frontrunner for the AL Cy Young award once again. He's been incredible, and Brown's praise emphasizes it: What is there not to like about Skubal?
He strikes out a ton of batters, has only walked 23 batters in 152.1 innings pitched, and is among the leaders in baseball in most key statistics this season.
Brown is a great pitcher himself, but what Skubal is doing this season is nothing short of remarkable. Skubal dominantly won the AL Cy Young in 2024, but this year, Brown is right there with him as a top Cy Young candidate.
Ahead of their highly anticipated matchup, Brown shared high praise for Skubal, but also believes the Astros' lineup can hit the Tigers' pitcher. It won't be easy. Skubal is dominant, and the Astros' offense has struggled lately.
Regardless, it will likely be a highly entertaining matchup between two Cy Young candidates, with the winner potentially getting the edge in the race for the 2025 Cy Young Award.
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