Tarik Skubal has won a pair of Cy Young Awards and dominated in the playoffs. Yet no start might be as anticipated as his outing Wednesday, July 29 at Comerica Park against the Baltimore Orioles.
It is possibly – perhaps likely – Skubal's final start as a Detroit Tiger, as the Aug. 3 MLB trade deadline draws closer and the Tigers remain mired in a thick American League playoff race.
And if Skubal keeps up his recent performance, he'll be all the more attractive to suitors - or tempting for the Tigers to hold onto him.
Skubal, who has 999 career strikeouts, has given up just one earned run in 14 ⅓ innings his past two starts, striking out 21 and walking two. Both games were Tigers wins and both answered any question he's still recovering from May
elbow surgery.
The Tigers enter Wednesday's game five games out in the middling AL Central, and 3 ½ out of the AL wild card, though they need to pass five teams to get in playoff position. But they can catch the Orioles with a win in this rubber game, and Baltimore has its own pending free agent lefty, Trevor Rogers, who has dominated of late and could slide on the trade block if his club fades further.
USA TODAY Sports will update this game throughout the afternoon:
After easy sixth inning, Skubal enters shutout territory
Can Tarik Skubal shut out the Orioles? After a seven-pitch sixth inning, it seems anything is possible.
Skubal has retired 14 consecutive Baltimore batters, striking out Pete Alonso for his sixth punchout against no walks. His pitch count after six innings? A remarkably efficient 74. He's thrown first-pitch strikes to 14 of 20 batters.
Meanwhile, a Zach McKinstry two-run double has extended Detroit's lead to 7-0. The Tigers are nine outs from catching the Orioles in the AL wild-card standings.
Tarik Skubal retires 11 in a row, posts five scoreless innings
You might say Tarik Skubal has settled in. After yielding a one-out single to Coby Mayo in the second inning, Skubal retired the next 11 batters, three by strikeout, as he cruised through five scoreless innings leading 5-0.
Skubal has given up just two hits with no walks and struck out five, throwing 67 pitches. However, the Orioles have hit several hard-hit balls, most notably Mayo's 413-foot flyout to dead center field leading off the field. It had a 103.1 mph exit velocity.
Detroit then tacked on two insurance runs, after Matt Vierling tripled and Javy Baez hit an RBI single. Vierling, though, came out of the game after his triple for apparent precautionary reasons after suffering a leg injury. Hao-Yu Lee drove in Baez with a sacrifice fly.
Tigers give Tarik Skubal 3-0 lead
And just like that, three consecutive hits and an Orioles gaffe gave Tarik Skubal a 3-0 lead after three innings.
A single by Spencer Torkelson and double by Matt Vierling off Trevor Rogers got the Tigers in business, and then Javier Baez, fresh off the injured list, ripped an RBI single that scored Torkelson. Baez got caught too far off the bag at first and ended up in a rundown - but Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso threw the ball away.
Comerica Park: Where magic happens 🪄 pic.twitter.com/LPsOVcpf0J
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) July 29, 2026
That enabled Vierling to score and Baez moved to second; he'd eventually score on Kevin McGonigle's sacrifice fly.
Is that enough for Skubal? Quite possibly.
Skubal, Trevor Rogers looking sharp through two scoreless innings
The left-hander possibly headed to the trading block has been perfect through two innings. And Tarik Skubal has been OK, too.
Yet it's Trevor Rogers who's been unsullied as the Orioles and Tigers are scoreless after two. He's struck out two and gotten three easy groundballs from Detroit's lineup. Of course, Skubal's been fine, too, recording his 1,000th strikeout and giving up harmless singles to Pete Alonso in the first inning and Coby Mayo in the second.
Tarik Skubal quickly reaches 1,000 strikeouts
Skubal has been sitting on 999 career strikeouts since his last outing, a dominant 7 1/3-inning effort against Kansas City. Well, he didn't have to wait long to get that milestone out of the way against the Orioles: He struck out Taylor Ward, the first batter of the game, with his trademark changeup.
1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ FOR TARIK SKUBAL 👏 pic.twitter.com/M5mA5FIT2p
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) July 29, 2026
Skubal acknowledged the standing ovation from the Comerica Park crowd, stepping behind the mound, removing his cap and applauding the fans right back. He quickly locked back in, giving up a single to Pete Alonso but retiring Gunnar Henderson and Tyler O'Neill to end the top of the first.
Tigers lineup today
Starting pitcher: Tarik Skubal
- Gleyber Torres (R) 2B
- Kevin McGonigle (L) SS
- Hao-Yu Lee (R) 3B
- Dillon Dingler (R) C
- Riley Greene (L) LF
- Eduardo Valencia (R) DH
- Spencer Torkelson (R) 1B
- Matt Vierling (R) RF
- Javier Báez (R) CF
Orioles lineup today
Starting pitcher: Trevor Rogers
- Taylor Ward (R) LF
- Pete Alonso (R) 1B
- Gunnar Henderson (L) SS
- Tyler O'Neill (R) RF
- Christian Encarnacion-Strand (R) 3B
- Coby Mayo (R) DH
- Leody Taveras (S) CF
- Jeremiah Jackson (R) 2B
- Chadwick Tromp (R) C
Skubal going for 'cool' milestone in Detroit
Skubal enters Wednesday's start with 999 career strikeouts and the upcoming milestone was on his mind a day before the game.
“I got something cool that I want to accomplish at home, so that won't change," he said.
When is MLB trade deadline?
Teams must have their trade details finalized and submitted to the league office by the deadline in order for any acquired players to be eligible for the playoffs. After that, players on 40-man rosters can't be traded.
- When: Monday, Aug. 3
- Time: 6 p.m. ET
How to watch Tigers vs Orioles today
- Time: 1:10 p.m. (ET)
- Venue: Comerica Park
- Location: Detroit, Michigan
- TV: Mid-Atlantic Sports Network and Detroit SportsNet
- Streaming: MLB.TV on Fubo
Tarik Skubal contract
Tarik Skubal is earning $32 million in 2026, setting a record by winning his arbitration case against the Tigers in the offseason.
The two-time Cy Young winner is a free agent after the season and is expected to command perhaps the largest contract for a pitcher in MLB history, a mark currently held by Yoshinobu Yamamoto's $325 million deal with the Dodgers.
Tarik Skubal vs Orioles stats
Tarik Skubal has a 1.17 ERA in five career starts against the Baltimore Orioles, striking out 36 in 30.2 innings pitched.
Tarik Skubal trade landing spots
If the Tigers decide to deal Skubal, some of the top potential landing spots include:
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- Milwaukee Brewers
- Tampa Bay Rays
- Chicago Cubs
- Atlanta Braves
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tarik Skubal vs Orioles LIVE updates: Can Tigers ace toss shutout?
