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Detroit Tigers' A.J. Hinch: Pulling Tarik Skubal at 90 pitches is about protecting health
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch removed left-hander Tarik Skubal from a tie game against Kansas City Royals on Saturday, May 31, after seven scoreless innings and 90 pitches. The Tigers ended up losing, 1-0. Advertisement The Royals scored almost immediately in the eighth inning, facing right-handed reliever Beau Brieske. With one out, Nick Loftin hit a double and Vinnie Pasquantino hit an RBI single. It was enough to win the game. Here's what Skubal said, following his 12th start in a row without reaching 100 pitches, all this season: "I feel good, but I trust what A.J. does. He's always got a really good plan, and I trust our guys in our 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. 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. 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." Here's what Loftin said, after he had one of the Royals' two hits off Skubal: "Honestly, it was a relief to get him out because he was pitching such a good game against us. 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." Advertisement Here's what Hinch said about why he turned to Brieske, who had limited left-handed hitters to a .171 batting average and a .431 OPS entering Saturday's game: "They've got all left-handed bench with the counters that they were going to do. If we could flip then, then we've got options a little bit later as well. And Brieske can get outs. ... I think 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." All of those comments were provided Saturday evening. 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. HOW IT HAPPENED: Tigers' Tarik Skubal shut down Royals — then moment of 'relief' changed everything Advertisement Less than 24 hours later, Hinch sat in the dugout and explained his decision to pull Skubal, doing so before the series finale Sunday, June 1, against the Royals. Here's the full explanation: "Listen, it's way easier to just let guys go until they can't go anymore. We need all of our pitchers. We've been very disciplined and very thorough and explained it. When it doesn't work out in your favor, it doesn't mean the decision wasn't made with some intent. Obviously, it's a long season. We've got to run the race to get where we need to get to. All you really need to do is look around our rotation and the rotation around the league. It's hard to get through the race. It's hard to get wire to wire without making some difficult decisions along the way. Unfortunately, in my position, I know more information of what's going on in the dugout in between innings — fatigue levels, hydration, the long race that we're trying to run. So you make a call like that. If we had gotten through that game and won, there wouldn't be a question that comes up. The nature of those decisions come as a result of what happens. Totally cool with that. It's part of it. But there's no easy solution other than assuming that the other way would have worked out perfectly fine, both in results wise and health wise. He just came off the longest start of his entire career. He's at 90 pitches. It's almost 90 degrees here. We had a good matchup. It didn't work. It's part of it. I understand the wrath that comes with it over reactionary feelings." The Tigers are focused on winning the World Series. To go all the way, the reigning American League Cy Young winner needs to stay healthy. Advertisement Only twice has a Tigers starting pitcher reached 100 pitches this season: Jackson Jobe threw 100 pitches May 12 in a 14-2 win over the Boston Red Sox; Jack Flaherty threw 108 pitches May 22 in a 7-0 loss to the Cleveland Guardians. Three starts later, Jobe suffered an elbow injury — straining his flexor tendon. He will miss at least one month, but it's more likely he is sidelined for two months. That can't happen to Skubal. Is Parker Meadows returning? Center fielder Parker Meadows (right upper arm nerve issue) is about to join the Tigers for his 2025 season debut. The 25-year-old has completed eight games on a rehab assignment, logging 37 innings in center field and 33 plate appearances. Advertisement THE GAME: Tigers waste Tarik Skubal gem in two-hit, 1-0 loss to Royals He could return Monday against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. It sounds like he will meet the Tigers in the Windy City, then be evaluated. "I talked to him late last night to get a little bit more feedback on him," Hinch said Sunday morning. "He's doing really well. We'll have a plan to make sure." Meadows has been injured since Feb. 22 in spring training. [ MUST LISTEN: Make "Days of Roar" your go-to Detroit Tigers podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ] Reese Olson injury update Right-hander Reese Olson (right ring finger inflammation) is eligible to return Monday from the injured list, but he still isn't throwing all of his pitches in bullpen sessions. The 25-year-old needs to be able to throw his changeup before he can return. Advertisement He threw his last bullpen before Saturday's game. Olson suffered the finger injury May 17 against the Toronto Blue Jays, feeling irritation when he threw his changeup. The changeup is his best pitch, with a 50.5% whiff rate. Pitching plan vs. White Sox Facing the White Sox, the Tigers have Jack Flaherty scheduled to start Monday's series opener and Casey Mize tabbed to start Thursday's series finale. The starters for Tuesday and Wednesday have not been determined, but Sawyer Gipson-Long is expected to start one of those games. For the other game, the Tigers seem likely to deploy a bullpen-only game with their nine relievers. Advertisement Gipson-Long hasn't pitched for the Tigers since September 2023, when he registered a 2.70 ERA with eight walks and 26 strikeouts across 20 innings in four starts. Since then, Gipson-Long underwent right elbow surgery in April 2024 and left hip surgery in July 2024. The 27-year-old has completed five starts during his rehab assignment, including two starts with Triple-A Toledo. Skubal will start Friday against the Chicago Cubs at Comerica Park, getting an extra day of rest. Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@ 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 Advertisement Order your copy of 'Roar of 125: The Epic History of the Detroit Tigers!' by the Free Press at This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers' AJ Hinch explains Tarik Skubal decision vs Royals
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5 days ago
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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. Advertisement The Tigers lost, 1-0. JV ON SKUB: Tigers need to 'ride that horse' deeper into games 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. Advertisement 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." Celebrate 125 epic seasons of the Tigers with our new book! 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. Advertisement [ NEW TIGERS NEWSLETTER! Sign up for The Purr-fect Game, a weekly dose of Tigers news, numbers and analysis for Freep subscribers, here. ] 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. Advertisement 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. ROAD TO GREATNESS: After Tarik Skubal's 'Maddux,' MLB legend Greg Maddux shares secret to sustaining success Advertisement "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. Advertisement 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@ 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 Advertisement Order your copy of 'Roar of 125: The Epic History of the Detroit Tigers!' by the Free Press at This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers: Tarik Skubal or Beau Brieske vs Kansas City Royals?
