CLEVELAND -- The last time Tarik Skubal walked off the mound, he slumped onto the bench in the visitors' dugout at Progressive Field and put his head in his hands. He had just given up a three-run sixth inning to the Guardians with a series of uncharacteristic miscues, from an ill-advised snap throw between his legs and over first base to a run-scoring wild pitch to just the second balk of his career. He had also struck David Fry with a 99 mph fastball as he had squared to bunt, and it understandably rattled him .

Lost in his undoing that night was that he was throwing some of his best stuff of the season, in his last start of the regular season.

“I think my average [fastball] velo was up a mile and a half,” Skubal said, “so I’ll let that say what it needs to say. Instead of me say

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