CLEVELAND (AP) \u2014 Tarik Skubal wasn\u2019t seeking any sentimentality for his return from elbow surgery. Save the pats on the back and warm words for someone else.<\/p>\n
Skubal didn\u2019t win back-to-back AL Cy Young Awards on fuzzy feelings or nostalgia. The fiery left-hander is all business, and his time away from the mound didn\u2019t soften him at all.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to play into that narrative of trying to be back,\u201d Skubal said Saturday following his first start since April 29. \u201cI need to be better, plain and simple. \u2018Just happy to be there,\u2019 that\u2019s a loser mentality to me. I need to go out there and pitch and compete and give my team a chance to win and I didn\u2019t do that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Skubal showed some rust while pitching 4 2\/3 innings as the Tigers again failed to get any timely hits (they stranded 11 runners) i n a 3-1 loss to the Cleveland Guardians<\/a>. The left-hander had a loose body removed from his elbow in an i nnovative surgical procedure<\/a> on May 6 that accelerated his return.<\/p>\n While Skubal wasn\u2019t dominant, that hardly mattered to the Tigers. They were just happy to have No. 29 back on the mound and delivering pitches with his familiar high-leg delivery.<\/p>\n \u201cHe didn\u2019t execute at the level that we\u2019re used to,\u201d said Detroit manager A.J. Hinch. \u201cBut man, it was nice to see him out there.\u201d<\/p>\n Skubal was lifted after 80 pitches by Hinch, who noted it was a \u201cweird start\u201d given the Guardians\u2019 lineup changed dramatically in the early innings when Cleveland lost outfielders Angel Martinez (bruised foot) and Chase DeLauter (bruised ribs) to injuries.<\/p>\n Skubal allowed five hits, struck out four and made one big mistake when he elevated a two-strike pitch to Daniel Schneemann, who connected for a two-run homer in the third inning.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I want one pitch back, it\u2019s the one to Schneemann,\u201d Skubal said.<\/p>\n Skubal was ahead 0-2 in the count when he missed with a high fastball that Schneeman, a left-handed hitter who had never faced Detroit\u2019s ace, drove 417 feet to give the Guardians a 3-1 lead.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was bad. Really bad,\u201d Skubal said. \u201cOn 0-2, I\u2019m going up and away and I kind of miss. It\u2019s not in enough and it\u2019s not up enough. If I\u2019m going to miss, it needs to be more in and more up. It\u2019s a good swing on it, but the execution on it was pretty poor.\u201d<\/p>\n Skubal\u2019s velocity was fine, as his fastball registered in the mid-90s (mph). His breaking pitches had their usual spin, and for the most part he was pleased with his outing.<\/p>\n \u201cMy process was really good today,\u201d he said. \u201cEvery pitch I was bought-in on. At the end of the day, that\u2019s all I can really control, is me trying to go out there and execute every pitch and sometimes things just don\u2019t fall your way.<\/p>\n \u201cCredit to those guys, too. They had some really good at-bats, and they were in on some pitches, and fouled off some pitches and took some really good pitches, too. You kind of give credit where credit is due. At the same time, I\u2019ve got to be better to give our team a chance to win. I just didn\u2019t do that today.\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n