Tarik Skubal is set to take the ball for the Detroit Tigers on Friday night against the Chicago White Sox, with Game 75 set for 6:40 p.m. ET at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan. Randal Grichuk sits in the background of a matchup that now turns on whether Skubal can reset after an underwhelming return from the injured list.
The Tigers need that reset. They won seven of their first nine games in June, swept the Tampa Bay Rays and took two of three from the Seattle Mariners, then lost four of five after taking two of three from the Minnesota Twins at home.
Skubal’s last outing
Skubal’s return start against the Cleveland Guardians ended in a 3-1 loss, his third loss of the season. He lasted 4 2/3 innings and allowed three runs, two earned, on five hits and one walk while striking out four and hitting one batter.
That line is the contrast at the center of this series opener. A left-hander listed at 3-3 with a 2.81 ERA now gets a second chance to show that the last start was a rough return rather than a sign that his workload still needs time to settle.
Erick Fedde on Friday
Erick Fedde is lined up for the Chicago White Sox, and it will be just his second start in his last six appearances. His last start came June 3 against the Minnesota Twins, when he worked five scoreless innings, allowed two hits and one walk, struck out two, and picked up his first and only win of the season.
Before that, he faced the Detroit Tigers in relief and threw four innings of two-run ball in a 4-3 Chicago win in extras. Now he enters at 2-5 with a 4.50 ERA, while the White Sox carry their own pressure as they battle the Cleveland Guardians for the top spot in the AL Central.
Comerica Park first pitch
Friday gives both sides a clean read on where they stand in the division race. Detroit can use Skubal’s start to stop the slide that followed its early June surge, and the White Sox can see whether Fedde’s limited recent work holds up in a spot where the margin has already narrowed.
For fans headed to Comerica Park, the headline is simple: Skubal goes in Game 75 at 6:40 p.m. ET, and the Tigers need the version of him that looked sharper before the injured list than the one who came back from it.
