Tarik Skubal Is Dealing Again and Riley Green Will Be Fine — Stop Panicking, Detroit
The reigning AL Cy Young winner just put up back-to-back scoreless outings against two of baseball’s best offenses. Meanwhile, Riley Green is 1-for-32 and leading the league in strikeouts — but he’s not going anywhere, and anyone calling for Triple-A is out of their mind.
Tarik Skubal is back. The 2024 AL Cy Young winner looked shaky in his first couple starts, gave up a few homers, and the sky-is-falling crowd started warming up their hot takes. Forget all that. Skubal just dominated the Yankees and the Brewers — two teams in the top 10 in runs scored — with back-to-back scoreless outings.
The change-up is unhittable right now. It might be the best pitch in baseball. But here’s the moment that tells you everything: sixth inning against Milwaukee, bases loaded, pitch count climbing. What does Skubal do? Reaches back for 100 mph gas and punches out the hitter to end the threat. Very Justin Verlander circa 2012. Very “I dare you to hit this.”
And it’s not just about Skubal’s numbers. This team feeds off his energy. When he’s on the mound yelling at hitters, doing his little spin after a big pitch — the offense wakes up. Five runs against the Yankees. Nine against the Brewers. That’s not coincidence. The ace sets the tone and everybody follows.
Riley Green: Stop With the Triple-A Talk
Now for the uncomfortable part. Riley Green is 1-for-32 entering tonight’s game. He’s leading the majors in strikeouts. Social media is roasting him every at-bat. Some people — and I cannot stress this enough — are actually suggesting sending him to Triple-A.
Absolutely not. Delete that thought from your brain.
This is the same Riley Green who was a massive reason Detroit went on that magical playoff run last year. The same guy who’s going to be a staple in this lineup for the next decade. He’s seeing off-speed stuff down and away and not recognizing it. Pitchers have figured out the approach for now and he hasn’t adjusted. Worse? When they miss with fastballs middle-middle — pitches he usually deposits 20 rows deep — he’s missing those too. The wide-eye look is there. He’s just not seeing it.
But slumps happen. This is baseball. The Phillies stood behind Trea Turner when he was scuffling, gave him standing ovations, and he was a huge part of their success. Detroit needs to do the same for Riley. Back him. He’ll break out — probably by the time you’re reading this.
Coney Dogs of the Week: Jobe and Torkelson Are Rolling
Jackson Jobe just went six strong against Minnesota: zero earned runs, two strikeouts, one walk. That walk number is the key stat. The rookie is throwing strikes and making hitters beat him instead of beating himself. The development has been absurd — Rookie of the Year chatter is very real, even with Colton Cowser doing his thing in Boston.
And Spencer Torkelson? Baby Tork is BACK. Three bombs this week. The former first overall pick is finally doing what everyone’s been waiting years to see — hitting nukes and helping this team win games. Is it too much to ask for Tork and Riley to get rolling at the same time? That’s the dream scenario heading into this weekend’s series against Kansas City.
The key to beating the Royals? Limit Bobby Witt Jr. Last year’s splits were ridiculous — sub-.860 OPS in losses, over 1.000 in wins. Stop Witt, stop Kansas City. Simple as that.
The Takeaways
- Tarik Skubal’s change-up might be the best pitch in baseball right now — back-to-back scoreless outings against top-10 offenses
- Riley Green is 1-for-32 and leading the league in strikeouts, but Triple-A talk is insane — he’s the franchise, back him up
- Spencer Torkelson hit three bombs this week and Jackson Jobe continues to look like a legitimate Rookie of the Year candidate
Watch the full segment on YouTube: Detroit Tigers – The Tale of 2 All-Stars
