Ace left-hander Tarik Skubal will take the mound as the Detroit Tigers look to avert a three-game series sweep by the Texas Rangers on Sunday evening in Arlington, Texas. Skubal (10-3, 2.33 ERA) is the defending American League Cy Young Award winner.

“‘I’m amazed,” is the way Bruce Bochy, a guy with so much experience in 50 years of baseball, it’s physically impossible to amaze him, put it Saturday.

The Tigers (59-40) have now lost six in a row, their longest skid since they lost nine in a row from June 2-11, 2023. The Rangers (50-49) climbed above .500 for the first time since May 20, when they were 25-24.

Kumar Rocker took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and Rowdy Tellez hit a three-run home run in his second game with the Rangers as Texas beat the slumping Detroit Tigers 4-1.

Skubal, who beat the Rangers in Detroit in May, is 10-3 and is third in the majors in ERA (2.23), second in strikeouts per nine innings (11.38) and sixth in innings pitched (122). He was the AL starter for Tuesday’s All-Star Game.

The Detroit Tigers take on the Texas Rangers in the second game of their three-game series on Saturday night in Arlington.