Tarik Skubal is unbeatable if the Tigers give him run support

It had to have been a beautiful thing to watch for a long-suffering fan base.

On paper, Monday night's 7-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays was just one of 13 the Detroit Tigers have earned so far in 2024. In reality, though, the game was more than just one of 162.

It was a sign of what Detroit could be with ace Tarik Skubal on the mound.

The Tigers are a team that have played too many close games so far in 2024 due to an offense that has struggled to get hot and provide run support to an otherwise-strong pitching staff.

Skubal is good enough of a pitcher to win Detroit games in tight contests where the offense may not necessarily be contributing, but he becomes unbeatable in games in which the Tigers can give him any sort of run support.

That was the case against the Rays, when Skubal pitched six innings, giving up just three hits with no walks and nine strikeouts.

“The stuff is off-the-charts good,’’ manager A.J. Hinch said after the game, per MLB.com's Joey Johnston. “His work ethic is top-notch. His competitiveness is good. He was in total command."

The Tigers could have won that game 2-1 with Skubal on the mound, but any sort of run support takes a Skubal start from winnable to absolutely unloseable for Detroit. And for a team that hasn't had a winning record since 2016 and hasn't made the playoffs since 2014 — every one of those wins is vital.

In five starts so far this season, Skubal has a 3-0 record with a 1.82 ERA and a 0.74 WHIP (walks plus hits per innings pitched), which is good for second in all of baseball.