The Detroit Tigers entered Thursday with a 4.5-game lead over the Cleveland Guardians for the AL Central lead . That lead has shrunk, with Cleveland winning the first two games of the three-game set. But Detroit had the best possible stopper on the hill with their ace going on Thursday afternoon. Tigers' Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal set his career high in strikeouts with number 229 in the fourth inning. Expand Tweet

The Tigers faced a Skubal injury scare during his last start. He left the game against the Miami Marlins after grabbing his left side, but the tests came back positive. Needless to say, he is back on track in this start against the Guardians, with six strikeouts in five innings to start.

Skubal won the 2024 American League Cy Young with a 2.39 ERA and 228 strikeout

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