Tarik Skubal Faces Atlanta's Hot Rookie and the Tigers Are Running Out of Time on the Road

The Detroit Tigers are headed to Atlanta on Wednesday night, and they're walking into a buzz saw. The Braves just rattled off their ninth straight win over Detroit on Tuesday, 5-2, and they're not slowing down. Atlanta has won 11 of its last 13 games overall. Meanwhile, the Tigers have collapsed on the road, sitting at just 5-13 away from home. This is a team that needs to stop the bleeding, and fast.

Two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal gets the ball for Detroit, and he's got his work cut out for him. Skubal is 3-2 with a 2.72 ERA, but his last outing was a mess. Against Milwaukee on Thursday, he couldn't escape the seventh inning, giving up four runs, including three without recording an out. When manager A.J. Hinch pulled him from the game, Skubal flipped over a cooler and threw his glove. "A mentally challenging day for him," Hinch said afterward. "He got dinged up a little bit at the end, but he pitched us pretty deep into the game." Skubal has only started once against Atlanta before, back in 2024, and he gave up five runs over four innings in a loss. He needs to be better this time.

Ritchie's Debut Moment Could Be His Last Chance Soon

Standing in his way is JR Ritchie, the Braves' 22-year-old right-hander making just his second career start. Ritchie is 1-0 with a 2.57 ERA, and his debut was nothing short of impressive. On Thursday against Washington, he allowed two runs on five hits, including a leadoff homer on his very first pitch, but still struck out seven over seven innings in a 7-2 victory. "Going into it, I wasn't going to worry too much about the hitters," Ritchie said. "I kind of wanted to let our catcher Drake Baldwin take care of that, and he did a great job all day." Baldwin and pitching coach Jeremy Hefner kept the young gun comfortable, talking between innings about adjustments. "They definitely made my life a lot easier."

Here's the thing though: Wednesday might be Ritchie's last start for a while. The Braves announced that Spencer Strider won't need another rehab assignment and will be returned to the rotation, potentially as soon as this weekend in Colorado.

The Tigers Are Dealing With Injuries at the Worst Time

Detroit's roster is taking hits. Starting pitcher Casey Mize left Tuesday's game in the third inning with a right groin strain. Center fielder Javy Baez had to be carted off the field after his right ankle got caught under his body while sliding into first base. Both will be evaluated Wednesday. Kevin McGonigle provided some bright spots, extending his hitting streak to 12 games with an infield hit Tuesday. He's hitting .347 during the streak.

Atlanta got reinforcements, too. Didier Fuentes was activated when Dylan Lee went on the paternity list after making a team-high 14 appearances. Fuentes pitched two scoreless innings Tuesday night. Shortstop Ha-Seong Kim, who signed a one-year deal worth $20 million in free agency, will start a rehab assignment with Double-A Columbus this week after injuring his throwing hand finger on ice in Korea back in January.

First pitch Wednesday is coming, and the Tigers desperately need to snap this losing streak against Atlanta. This road trip is getting ugly fast.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.