Tigers’ ace Tarik Skubal addresses exit from Friday’s game

The Detroit Tigers dropped to 1 ½ games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the American League’s best record with an 8-2 loss to the Miami Marlins on Friday night at loanDepot Park. 

More troubling than that, however, was Tarik Skubal’s exit from the game in the fourth inning after facing just two batters. The Tigers’ ace motioned to the dugout and briefly spoke to trainers before exiting with tightness in his left side. 

Following the loss, Skubal talked about what happened during his start on Friday night. 

Skubal addresses Friday’s exit

Here’s what Skubal had to say postgame, per MLB.com’s Justin Morris. 

“Certain things happen during the game where you feel some things,” he said. “And they come and go—just with the game. This was one that didn’t really go away, and that was what prompted me to call for [manager] A.J. [Hinch] and a trainer. 

“[I] just wasn’t very comfortable letting it go after that. I think at this time of year, what we’ve got going forward, I didn’t really want to risk doing something that causes me to really miss some time.” 

Over 3 ½ innings pitched, Skubal allowed four runs off four hits, including two homers. And though he suffered his fifth loss of the season, the 28-year-old lefty is still the frontrunner to win his second straight AL Cy Young award. 

Skubal ranks second in the AL in ERA (2.26) and strikeouts (224) and is tied for fifth with 13 wins. He’s a crucial piece of a Tigers team with World Series aspirations, especially because the rest of Detroit’s rotation has struggled heavily. 

“Obviously it’s scary,” Hinch said. “ … You don’t know what’s going on, and then we went out there and said he could [feel] a little tightness in his left side. [We were] gonna take him out right away at that point. 

“He said he could keep throwing, but we weren’t even gonna have him throw a warm-up pitch to see. So we’ve got to get him looked at and see.” 

The Tigers will play Miami again at 4:10 p.m. ET in the second game of the series. Right-hander Charlie Morton (9-10, 5.59 ERA) is scheduled to make the start.