Tigers ace Tarik Skubal shows some rust in first start since elbow procedure

CLEVELAND (AP) — Tarik Skubal wasn’t seeking any sentimentality for his return from elbow surgery. Save the pats on the back and warm words for someone else.

Skubal didn’t 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’t soften him at all.

“I don’t want to play into that narrative of trying to be back,” Skubal said Saturday following his first start since April 29. “I need to be better, plain and simple. ‘Just happy to be there,’ that’s 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’t do that.”

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. The left-hander had a loose body removed from his elbow in an i nnovative surgical procedure on May 6 that accelerated his return.

While Skubal wasn’t 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.

“He didn’t execute at the level that we’re used to,” said Detroit manager A.J. Hinch. “But man, it was nice to se...