Skubal is really good

[Paul Meloche]

Check out these stats, courtesy of The Athletic's Jayson Stark:

 

Skubal has faced 90 left-handed hitters this season. Two have scored a run. He has served up one extra-base hit — and it was a double. He has walked only one of them — and struck out 30. The slash line: .179/.189/.192. 

The Tigers lost the first two games Skubal started this year. In his 16 starts since, they’re 14-2 … with a 1-0 loss and an extra-inning loss, neither of which was hung on him. He’s 10-0, with a 1.62 ERA, 138 strikeouts and 10 walks. Maddux and Kershaw are the only other pitchers in MLB history to have a stretch like this.

Skubal has thrown the highest percentage of pitches inside the zone (49.8 percent) of any full-time starter in baseball this season. Yet his swing-and-miss rate, on those pitches, is also the highest in baseball (23.5 percent). 

There are more (paywalled) - I just picked the most eye-popping.

[Peter Welch]

Skubal's low walk rate is remarkable for such a power pitcher.  

His change-up is brutal.  He must disguise it brilliantly.  It must be a nightmare for a hitter trying to catch up to Skubal's 100+ mph fastballs and then he throws his change-up at you and places it on a dime.  You have no chance.

Peter

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From: detroit...@googlegroups.com <detroit...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Paul Meloche <meloc...@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, July 11, 2025 11:40 AM
To: Tigers List <detroit...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Skubal is really good

 

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