The Houston Astros have a strong one-two punch atop their starting rotation with Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez. While Valdez hasn't been as dominant lately, Brown is still one of the top contenders for the AL Cy Young.
He's set to have a huge matchup on Tuesday night, when he heads back to Detroit, his hometown, to face the Detroit Tigers and fellow Cy Young candidate Tarik Skubal.
Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic wrote a story on the upcoming star-studded matchup, with comments from both pitchers ahead of a pivotal game. In that piece, Skubal and Brown were asked about each other, and Skubal shared some high praise for Brown.
Brown Has "Good Stuff," According to Skubal
"He's got good stuff, pitching in the zone, strikes guys out, kind of does everything that you want as a starting pitcher," Skubal said. "It's why he was at the All-Star Game this year, and that's why he's got the numbers he's got."
It's strong praise from Skubal, as he says Brown's stuff is the ideal repertoire for a starting pitcher. But that wasn't all Skubal had to say about Brown, as he also wished that Brown could be a Tiger rather than facing him as an Astro.
"Detroit ties are cool," Skubal said, "It would be cooler if he was wearing our jersey."
Skubal wishing that Brown could be on the Tigers isn't a hard concept to understand. Rather than having to face Brown, having him on the Tigers would be Skubal's ideal. He has good reason to think this way, as Brown has been dominant this season.
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Brown has been breaking out in a major way this season. While he had a strong 2024 with a 3.49 ERA in 30 starts, this season has been even more remarkable.
He has a 2.45 ERA in 24 starts, only 0.02 ERA behind Skubal's AL-leading mark of 2.43. Brown also has a 10-5 record, 4.9 WAR, 164 strikeouts, and 43 walks in 143 innings pitched. His 168 ERA+ isn't far from Skubal's 172 ERA+, which leads the AL.
The 26-year-old is having the best season of his career, and with Brown set to be a free agent after 2028, this season is an indication that his deal will be expensive and well worth it if he keeps up this production.
Brown is pitching in the Majors in front of his hometown team for the first time since breaking out as an elite starter. It also happens to coincide with a matchup against Tarik Skubal, one of the best pitchers in baseball.
Ahead of this matchup, Skubal shared strong praise for the Astros ace, a sign that Brown's dominance this season is getting the recognition it deserves.
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