Detroit Tigers' Tarik Skubal shut down Royals — then moment of 'relief' changed everything
Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal had thrown 90 pitches over seven scoreless innings.
Then came the hook.
Manager A.J. Hinch pulled Skubal — the reigning American League Cy Young winner — in favor of right-handed reliever Beau Brieske to begin the eighth inning Saturday, May 31, at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals wasted no time, pouncing on Brieske with back-to-back hits to score the only run of the game.
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The Tigers lost, 1-0.
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Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) delivers a pitch against the Kansas City Royals in the first inning at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, on Saturday, May 31, 2025.
Skubal felt like he could've kept pitching.
"I feel good, but I trust what A.J. does," said Skubal, who retired 20 of the 22 batters he faced, including the final seven in a row. "He's always got a really good plan, and I trust our guys in the bullpen. I'm going to try to pitch as deep as I can, and then turn it over to those guys. They've been really, really good for us."
The Royals' offense perked up when Skubal walked off the mound after the seventh inning and got a handshake — not a fist bump — from Hinch. The handshake meant Skubal was done for the day, even at just 90 pitches.
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How did the Royals feel about that?
Just ask them.
"Honestly, it was a relief to get him out because he was pitching such a good game against us," said Nick Loftin, who had one of the Royals' two hits off Skubal. "We were able to string some hits together against Brieske. It turned out to be a part of the game that helped us win a ballgame."
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Kansas City Royals left fielder Nick Loftin (12) hits a single against the Detroit Tigers in the fifth inning at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, on Saturday, May 31, 2025.
Skubal has a 2.26 ERA in 12 starts.
He hasn't thrown more than 96 pitches in any of them.
That pattern continued in Saturday's 1-0 loss to the Royals.
Hinch was asked if he pulled Skubal to keep him fresh because his next start appeared likely to be on four days of rest — a schedule he has followed just three times in 12 starts. But once again, Skubal will get extra rest before his next start.
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Kansas City Royals left fielder Nick Loftin (12) celebrates with catcher Freddy Fermin (34) after scoring against the Detroit Tigers in the eighth inning at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, on Saturday, May 31, 2025.
"He's not going to be on regular," Hinch said, indicating Skubal won't pitch until Friday, June 6, in the series opener against the Chicago Cubs at Comerica Park. "That didn't play into anything today."
Instead of riding Skubal, the Tigers turned to Brieske for the eighth inning — with Mark Canha, Loftin and Vinnie Pasquantino due up for the Royals. Additionally, the Royals had a bench full of left-handed hitters ready to pinch-hit upon Skubal's departure.
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Why Brieske?
"They've got all left-handed bench with the counters that they were going to do," Hinch said. "If we could flip them, then we've got options a little bit later as well. And Brieske can get outs."
The Tigers were prepared for a multi-inning tactical battle, but in the eighth inning, Brieske fit the situation as one of their most effective right-handed relievers against left-handed hitters.
Entering Saturday, lefties were hitting just .171 with a .431 OPS against Brieske in 39 plate appearances, while righties had a .308 batting average and a 1.004 OPS in 45 plate appearances.
Those splits explain why the Tigers saw Brieske as their best weapon against the Royals' array of left-handed pinch-hitters.
Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch (14) watches play against the Kansas City Royals in the ninth inning at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, on Saturday, May 31, 2025.
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"The ability to handle left-handed hitters when we knew they were going to counter, no matter what right-handed pitcher I put in there, Beau was a good matchup," Hinch said.
Brieske can get outs, but he's not Skubal.
Everyone knows that.
In the eighth, Brieske got pinch-hitter Drew Waters to fly out, but Loftin — a right-handed hitter — smoked a middle-middle fastball into left field for a double. After that, Pasquantino — a left-handed hitter — slapped a middle-away fastball, located well off the plate, for an opposite-field RBI single.
The single from Pasquantino put the Royals ahead, 1-0.
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It was enough to win the game.
"We give up one run — I mean, you shouldn't lose a lot of games when you give up one, but it's just the nature of the game," Skubal said. "I trust those guys, so I'm going to give it everything I have and let him make the decision of when to go somewhere else."
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.
Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers: Tarik Skubal or Beau Brieske vs Kansas City Royals?
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