SF Giants catch a break in series against the Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers are one of the best teams in baseball with a 34-20 overall record. The SF Giants will have a tough team on their hands, but at least, they do not have to face reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal.

SF Giants catch a break in series against the Detroit Tigers

I should add that the Giants will still have their hands full. The Tigers' rotation is fifth in baseball with a 3.30 ERA, so they have plenty of quality arms outside of Skubal.

Oddly enough, the Giants will also avoid Reese Olson and Casey Mize during this three-game series. Olson has a 2.96 ERA in nine starts, whereas Mize has a 2.45 ERA in eight outings. San Francisco will still have to face one of the top young pitchers in baseball in Jackson Jobe.

Skubal put together a masterpiece of a performance on Sunday, completing nine shutout innings with 13 strikeouts and zero walks in a 5-0 win over the Cleveland Guardians. After winning the AL Cy Young Award in 2024, he has picked up where he left off.

The left-handed pitcher has tallied a 2.49 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 12.1 K/9, and a 13.14 SO/W rate across 11 starts this season. His 1.98 FIP leads baseball among qualified starters. Logan Webb is second in that category with a 2.18 FIP in 11 starts.

Skubal is arguably the best pitcher in the AL, but there is some good competition as well. Kris Bubic (Kansas City Royals), Nathan Eovaldi (Texas Rangers), Max Fried (New York Yankees), and Hunter Brown (Houston Astros) are just some of the other names in the mix. There is plenty of season left to play, but if it ended today, Skubal would likely win his second Cy Young Award in back-to-back seasons. It is far too early for that type of discussion.

The Giants catch a break in missing Skubal. The offense has gone cold, as they scratched only seven runs across the plate against an inferior Washington Nationals club. While the Giants will not be an offensive force, they do need a couple of key players to show improvement.