To the despair of Tigers fans everywhere, Tarik Skubal is settling in nicely in his new home. He was far from bad through his first three starts as a Dodger, but his second was rockier than baseball fans are accustomed to seeing with him. He threw 95 pitches over just five innings and gave up three runs.
On Aug. 22, though, he went seven innings with 106 pitches against the Pirates. He gave up three runs, but he struck out 11 batters and was credited with a win when his offense picked him up. He still hasn’t been as efficient as he’s generally known to be, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has not been spooked by high-90s or low-100s pitch counts.
That, in itself, has been stunning to Tigers fans. The 109 pitches Skubal threw in his third start as a Dodger is a career high. His 106 on Saturday were his second-most this season. AJ Hinch did not let him go over 96 this year with the Tigers.
Depending on your persuasion, you might be one of two minds. There’s the generous take, that Roberts might just be willing to push his starters harder than Hinch, especially ones he can trust. And then there’s the less-than-generous take, that Skubal himself is only pushing himself like this because he’s trying to line himself up for a massive contract with LA in the offseason.
Tarik Skubal is throwing more pitches with the Dodgers than he did with the Tigers
Framber Valdez’s pitch counts this season lend some credence to the latter argument. While the Tigers were probably more concerned about losing Skubal by pushing him too hard, they can’t be unconcerned about Valdez, who was supposed to be the Tigers’ replacement ace after a Skubal trade. He’s thrown over 100 pitches in three starts this season, even when he’s had to drag himself through long innings and exit early.
Skubal has been widely lauded by his former peers and watchful beat reporters in Detroit as the consummate competitor. He’s just a guy who has that ‘it’ factor, who can reach down deep and unleash something that most players just can’t.
That may be true, but it also may be true that Skubal is heavily protective of his financial interests. He gave Tigers fans a glimpse at that side of himself during the arbitration debacle. He’s not only pitching all-out for a team with World Series expectations, but one of the only teams that will be able to afford him in the offseason. Neither was true in Detroit.
Could that be factoring into this higher self he seemed to unlock the second he put on a Dodgers uniform? It’s hard not to interpret things that way.
