Skubal Faces Yankee Stadium as Tigers Hunt an Upset
The Detroit Tigers walk into Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night as a team 13 games under .500, facing a Yankees squad that has been one of baseball's better stories at 48-36. There's no model read to lean on tonight, so this one comes down to reading the matchup cold.
Detroit is expected to send Tarik Skubal to the mound, and that alone keeps the Tigers relevant in any conversation about this game. Skubal is the one variable that can neutralize a home-field advantage and a record gap simultaneously. The Yankees, meanwhile, are projected to start Cam Schlittler — a name that doesn't carry the same weight, which means New York's offense will need to do its part rather than coast on reputation.
On the offensive side, the Tigers' most dangerous bat belongs to Dillon Dingler, who has quietly put together a serious power season with 19 home runs and 59 RBI. That kind of production out of the catcher position is genuinely disruptive, and Yankee Stadium's short porch in right field is not going to discourage him. Riley Greene adds a different dimension at .285 — a contact presence who can set the table if Detroit is going to string anything together against a Yankees bullpen that will inevitably factor in. For New York, Ben Rice has been the offensive engine, leading the team with 22 home runs and 53 RBI while hitting .269. He's the hitter in this lineup who can change the game with one swing, and with Schlittler expected to start, the Yankees will likely need Rice to deliver early and often.
Our model doesn't have a validated read on this one, and honestly, that's worth noting rather than papering over. What we can say is that the record disparity is real — 12 games separate these clubs — but Skubal on the mound for Detroit is the kind of equalizer that makes the Tigers dangerous regardless of context. If you're watching tonight, watch Dingler against whatever the Yankees throw at him late, and watch whether Rice can do damage early before Skubal settles in. First pitch is 7:05 PM ET at Yankee Stadium, available on MLB.TV, TBS, and Prime Video.