Tarik Skubal’s dominant bump day reminds Tigers fans, announcers of his insane peak

Despite a couple of unsteady starts to the season for Tarik Skubal, it was far from enough to change what Tigers fans know to be true: a Skub bump day is a day when the Tigers are in their best position to win.

There were, of course, questions about how Skubal might follow up his Cy Young and Triple Crown-winning season. His 31 starts, nearly 200 innings, 2.39 ERA, and 0.92 WHIP would be hard for anyone to replicate.

Despite two starts against the Dodgers and Mariners, which tagged Skubal with a 5.91 ERA, he's been back to his usual form in his last two outings. He shut out the Yankees through six innings on April 8 while striking out six batters and not giving up a walk, and through four innings on Monday night, he was no-hitting the Brewers.

Rhys Hoskins ended up breaking the potential no-no in the top of the fifth with a single, but Skubal still remained mostly untouchable. He'd already struck out four batters, all but one on his vicious changeup, and he was kept busy on defense as well; he scooped not just one but two weak infield tappers and got them to Spencer Torkelson for outs.

Tarik Skubal was characteristically brilliant in his fourth Tigers start, pitching six shutout innings against Brewers

Skubal got into some trouble in the bottom of the sixth, when three singles loaded the bases. He got himself to two outs on two more strikeouts (another one on the changeup), but Hoskins put a minor scare into Tigers fans when he got to a 2-1 count and fouled off two pitches, one on a hard-hit roper that got the fans at American Family Field prematurely excited.

But Skubal ended up doing exactly what he does best: he struck him out. He threw a nearly 100 MPH fastball that breezed right by Hoskins, and he treated himself to a well-deserved roar as he walked back to the mound.

All told, Skubal gave up four hits, all singles, and struck out nine batters while bringing his ERA down to 2.66 through seven innings, his longest outing of the season so far. He hasn't given up an extra-base hit since a solo homer in the bottom of the fourth for Dylan Moore on April 2.

The season is long and Skubal, ideally, has over 20 more starts still to make, but there's no reason for Tigers fans to believe that he'll be anything other than brilliant when all is said and done.