Once the Detroit Tigers return home for a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs this weekend, fans might get an early taste of a potential World Series showdown. As of Wednesday, the Tigers lead all of Major League Baseball with a 40-22 record, while the Cubs are just one game back at 38-22.
The first two games of the series will be nationally televised—Friday night’s game on Apple TV+ and Saturday’s on MLB Network. With the stakes potentially hinting at October, the Tigers have quietly shuffled their rotation.
Rather than pitching the final game of the four-game series against the White Sox, Tarik Skubal will now be held back to start Friday’s opener against the Cubs. Casey Mize will take Skubal’s originally scheduled turn in the rotation.
Tarik Skubal’s next start sets the stage for a potential Tigers World Series preview
Tigers fans have certainly been paying attention to how Tarik Skubal has been managed recently, but this latest move is unlikely to draw much criticism. Even after an 8-1 loss to the White Sox on Tuesday night, Detroit can afford to give Skubal an extra day of rest—especially when facing a struggling team like the White Sox.
This time, it’s not just Tigers fans who benefit—baseball fans nationwide are thanking Detroit for setting up a marquee matchup. Skubal, who has been overlooked in some national coverage, including by ESPN, is putting together a compelling case for the AL Cy Young Award. A dominant performance against the Cubs on Friday would only bolster his campaign.
As for the Cubs, they have yet to name a starting pitcher for Friday’s game. That spot in their rotation has belonged to young right-hander Ben Brown, but in his most recent turn, the team used an opener—Drew Pomeranz pitched the first inning against the Reds before Brown took over and tossed six shutout innings. The Cubs may deploy a similar strategy against the Tigers.
