DETROIT — Before Spencer Torkelson’s walk-off hit and a 3-2 Detroit Tigers victory against the Toronto Blue Jays, Friday started with a needed dose of good news.
The first and biggest update: Tarik Skubal, the American League’s back-to-back reigning Cy Young Award winner, started light throwing this week. Hopes of Skubal returning in an accelerated fashion after last week’s NanoNeedle surgery, which removed a loose body from his left elbow, are so far validated. Skubal will continue to play catch daily, increasing in distance and intensity, until he’s ready to begin bullpens.
“He obviously feels great,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “I was texting back and forth with him last night. He was super excited about just the general feeling. It doesn’t feel weird. It doesn’t feel awkward. It’s not guarded. I’ve seen video of it. We’re in touch daily with him about the program. That sort of freedom, mentally and physically, I think is a great sign.”
Of course, there is a large gap between playing catch and pitching at an elite level. The Tigers have remained in touch with Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who performed Skubal’s surgery, and are following a careful protocol. Although there’s reason to believe Skubal can beat the two- to three-month recovery typical of arthroscopic procedures, there’s not yet a definitive timeline for his return.
“As soon as he feels comfortable, like he has command and can do all the things that he is accustomed to doing on the mound, then it sort of goes at his pace,” ElAttrache recently told The Athletic regarding Skubal’s next steps.
With Skubal working his way back, the Tigers are slowly adding reinforcements to a battered ballclub that has 14 players on the major-league injured list.
Right-hander Casey Mize will start Saturday’s game, returning from a strained adductor without needing a minor-league rehab assignment. Although Mize might be under a slight pitch restriction Saturday, the Tigers expect him to be close to full force.
“Casey responded well to the multiple bullpens and the live BP that he did down in Lakeland,” Hinch said. “It gives us comfort knowing he can go out and give us what he would (normally) give us.”
The Tigers also activated reliever Connor Seabold, who had been out with left ankle inflammation. They even saw progress with power arms Beau Brieske and Will Vest, who pitched on rehab assignments in Triple A.
They’re also monitoring as Justin Verlander inches closer to a return. Verlander threw a three-inning, 50-pitch live session Friday, and Hinch reported an uptick in Verlander’s velocity and increased effectiveness with his slider. Verlander will throw again sometime next week, though he is not eligible to come off the 60-day injured list until May 31.
“We’ll try to keep inching him forward with proper rest but also proper buildup,” Hinch said.
Spencer Torkelson’s game-winning single in the ninth inning gave the Tigers their second victory in the last 10 games. (Jaime Crawford / Getty Images)
Friday’s walk-off win against the Blue Jays was the Tigers’ second victory in 10 games and improved their record to 20-25. But as the club hopes to tread water until Skubal and the rest of the cavalry arrive, the Tigers must also cross their fingers and hope to avoid any more misfortune.
In the third inning Friday, right-hander Ty Madden had just thrown his seventh pitch when Yohendrick Piñango smashed a 107.9 mph comebacker that crashed into Madden’s right forearm. Madden’s curse was audible on the broadcast, and it was clear almost right away that he would not be able to continue throwing. He was slated to be the bulk reliever in Friday’s bullpen game, but the Tigers instead had to further tax the rest of their relief unit.
Burch Smith and Drew Anderson pitched admirably in Madden’s place, but their usage creates more questions for how the Tigers will navigate the rest of this series.
The initial news on Madden, at least, seems to indicate he avoided the worst. X-rays came back negative. Given the nastiness of the injury, though, he is undergoing further evaluation and could still miss time.
“You could start to see it swell up literally while we were standing there,” Hinch said. “He was in the handshake line giving high fives to an excited team, but that was a tough night for him.”
Situations like Madden’s have been the Tigers’ luck lately. For any bit of good news comes another helping of bad.
“It is part of the game, unfortunately,” Torkelson said. “I think we’re going to find ways to get that next-man-up mentality and keep scratching and clawing to find ways to win with whoever we got on the roster.”
On the heels of an embarrassing sweep against the Mets, the Tigers at least ended the night with another positive when Torkelson’s ball fell in the right-field gap, and Matt Vierling raced home. Wins help ease all the pain.
Horrid as this season has been, the Tigers are somehow only 3 1/2 games out of first place.
“We’re a difficult team to dissect,” Hinch said, “because you could go down a couple paths of really liking some things that are ahead. We’re going to get healthy, we’re going to get our team back intact, we’re going to certainly play better than we’ve played to this point. Or you can also dwell on the things that haven’t gone well, and you’re probably right no matter which way you choose.”