Skubal flashes Cy form with 100-mph K; Maeda scratched
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CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Grapefruit League games may not count in the standings, but don¡¯t tell Tarik Skubal they don¡¯t matter.
The reigning American League Cy Young Award winner made his penultimate start of the spring on Saturday, firing five innings of two-run ball in a 2-2 tie against the Phillies, who sent out a lineup loaded with regulars to face the Tigers on a picturesque day at BayCare Ballpark.
¡°A lot of guys don't want to go on the road, but typically, teams are going to flood their everyday guys in there [when they play at home],¡± Skubal said. ¡°Everybody competes against each other. People are going to say it doesn't matter; I can promise you, it matters to almost everybody. It¡¯s competitive and I like that. I like to get those juices flowing with Opening Day coming up.¡±
Skubal allowed six hits, struck out seven and did not issue a walk. His fastball sat in the high 90s for most of the day, but he caught Nick Castellanos looking at a 100.1 mph fastball for an inning-ending strikeout in the fourth.
¡°That was 100?¡± Skubal said. ¡°Nice.¡±
The punchout put an exclamation point on the eight-pitch inning, one that saw Skubal strike out Kyle Schwarber on three pitches, get J.T. Realmuto to ground out on an 0-1 pitch, then strike out Castellanos on three pitches.
¡°I think that's who I am,¡± Skubal said. ¡°That's damn near an immaculate inning. That¡¯s who I want to be on the mound.¡±
Skubal will make his final start of the spring on Friday in Sarasota against the Orioles, giving him another chance to face a loaded lineup prior to his Opening Day assignment on March 27 at Dodger Stadium.
¡°Part of spring is trying to get the most realistic reps you can,¡± manager A.J. Hinch said. ¡°For a guy like him, it's good to see the regular lineup, the crowd, just the overall atmosphere. It kicks in a little bit of adrenaline, which I think high-end guys often times need.¡±
Maeda scratched
Kenta Maeda had been slated to follow Skubal in Saturday¡¯s game, but the veteran right-hander battled a stomach bug on Friday night, prompting the Tigers to scratch him from his scheduled outing.
¡°He¡¯s beat up a little bit; it hasn¡¯t been a great night for him,¡± Hinch said. ¡°Don¡¯t make me describe it, please.¡±
Hinch said Maeda would likely throw on a back field by Tuesday. Maeda is 0-2 with a 5.68 ERA in four outings (three starts) this spring, though he has struck out 19 batters in 12 2/3 innings.
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Tigers trim roster
Seeing a team make a number of cuts roughly a week before the end of big league camp is hardly unusual, so it didn¡¯t turn many heads when the Tigers announced that eight players -- right-handers Jordan Balazovic and Brendan White; left-handers Dietrich Enns and Matt Gage; infielder Andrew Navigato; outfielders Akil Baddoo and Bligh Madris: and catcher Brian Serven -- had been reassigned to Minor League camp prior to Saturday¡¯s game.
Hinch said the timing was not a coincidence, however.
¡°One of the reasons that we made the cuts today is the last week [of Spring Training] should feel different,¡± Hinch said. ¡°You should see more recognizable names, you should play a little bit deeper into the game. You should be in a room where you look around and every single person is trying to get on this roster.¡±
The Tigers have 41 players remaining in big league camp, 26 of whom will break with the club for Opening Day.
¡°It's not a camp anymore; it's a team,¡± Hinch said. ¡°It doesn't mean that somebody that's not in camp isn't going to be a major player in the season, but this should feel like a week as a team. That¡¯s the hope.¡±