When will Tarik Skubal pitch next? Detroit Tigers have two dates, but Skubal hopes for one

Tarik Skubal doesn't want to pitch Sunday.

In a perfect world, the Detroit Tigers ' ace will pitch Tuesday in Game 1 of the American League wild-card series, possibly against the Orioles in Baltimore but likely against the Astros in Houston. But there's still a chance Skubal will pitch Sunday against the Chicago White Sox in the season finale at Comerica Park.

Here's the situation: Skubal will pitch against the White Sox if the Tigers need a win to clinch a spot in the postseason, but if the Tigers clinch before Sunday, he will wait until Game 1 of the AL wild-card.

"If we need it, I'm ready to go," said Skubal, who leads MLB with 18 wins and 228 strikeouts while leading the AL with a 2.39 ERA. "Hopefully we don't, so I can throw in the postseason. Whatever it takes to get there, I don't care."

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The Tigers can clinch by winning Friday's game against the White Sox.

Another caveat: Skubal won't pitch Sunday if the Tigers are only playing for seeding, thus trying to secure the second wild-card spot. The only way Skubal pitches Sunday is if the Tigers need a win to get into the postseason.

"It's unlikely that we would concern ourselves with seeding," manager A.J. Hinch said, "but let's be honest, let's hope we're in that situation that we have even the smallest of dilemmas. It didn't make any sense to pitch him in a seeding situation. It does in a qualifying situation."

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If Skubal starts Tuesday in Game 1 of the wild-card series, he could match up against Astros left-hander Framber Valdez (2.91 ERA in 28 starts) or Orioles right-hander Corbin Burnes (2.95 ERA in 31 starts).

The Tigers utilized four off days in September to keep Skubal available for Sunday's season finale while trying to keep him on at least five days rest — rather than the regular four days rest — in an effort to protect his long-term health .

That's been the Skubal plan for pretty much the entire second half of the season, just in case.

If he starts Sunday, he will be pitching on four days rest for the first time since Aug. 18, when he started against the New York Yankees in the MLB Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

If he starts Tuesday, he will be pitching on six days rest.

Skubal has made 11 starts this season on four days rest, with a 3.11 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 66⅔ innings. On five days rest, his ERA drops to 2.07 with 88 strikeouts in 74 innings in 12 starts. And six days rest? Over eight starts, Skubal has a 1.93 ERA with 61 strikeouts in 51⅓ innings.

"We looked at the second half schedule a while back, and then the off days and the juggling of the pitching is all tied together," Hinch said. "We've been constantly juggling our pitching around, and it started to look like we were going to have some options at the end of September with the off days. That's really what triggers the availability, where we could still conquer the season for him with extra rest but have some optionality at the end. This is how it mapped out."

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: When will Tarik Skubal pitch next? Detroit Tigers have two dates, but Skubal hopes for one