Asked after his most recent start about his next one potentially coming in the playoffs, Tarik Skubal said, "We gotta get there. My mind's on Sunday." At this point, the Tigers might not need him.
The likely AL Cy Young winner is scheduled to pitch in Sunday's season-finale against the White Sox, but the Tigers, whose magic number is down to three with four games to go, could clinch a playoff berth before then. If so, they would likely save Skubal for Game 1 of the wild card round, either in Baltimore or Houston.
"Tarik is lined up and planning to pitch on Sunday, if we need it," A.J. Hinch said Thursday on 97.1 The Ticket. "We've talked briefly about what kind of scenarios could be in play."
If the Tigers have a playoff spot on the line Sunday, Skubal "will absolutely pitch," said Hinch. If they've already clinched and they're only playing for either the second or third wild card seed, "I think it's unlikely that we would use that weapon for seeding. We would shift toward a different start," Hinch said.
"But we haven't really talked that directly about it, because it's just not consistent with how I've preached to this team to be where your feet are," said Hinch. "Let's hope it's not an issue and we can just do our part before that."
The Tigers can clinch before Sunday by either winning their next three games or matching the Twins, who have to make up two games on Detroit. If, for example, the Twins go 1-2 in their next three, the Tigers would merely have to do the same.
Of their two most likely wild card opponents, the Tigers went 2-4 this season against the Astros, with both series coming in the first half, and 4-2 against the Orioles, with both series coming this month during Detroit's surge.
In two starts against Houston, Skubal went 1-1, allowing 13 hits and six runs over 12 2/3 innings. He did not face Baltimore.
There's also a slight chance the Tigers could play the Yankees if New York blows a four-game division lead over the Orioles and slips into the first wild card.
