Baseball breaks its All-Star intermission where the stars at night are big and bright. Suitably, reigning Triple Crown hurler Tarik Skubal is set to take the mound on “Sunday Night Baseball,” with his AL-leading Detroit Tigers up against the turbulent Texas Rangers. This weekend’s three-game set offers big-name pitchers with national intrigue, plus some elite bullpen arms with unleaded gas.

How to watch Detroit Tigers at Texas RangersViewing guide
Time (ET)TVStreamProbables

8:05 p.m., Fri.

MLB.TV (national)
FDSN Detroit, CW33 (local)

Reese Olson
Patrick Corbin

7:05 p.m., Sat.

MLB.TV (national)
FDSN Detroit, CW33 (local)

TBD
Kumar Rocker

7:10 p.m., Sun.

ESPN

Tarik Skubal
Nathan Eovaldi

Rangers games can also be streamed on Victory+. “Sunday Night Baseball” can also be streamed on ESPN+.

The Tigers hit the Midsummer Classic with the MLB’s best record, but came in on a four-game losing streak after a Seattle Mariners sweep. Still, Detroit is an orange-colored, black-striped wagon in 2025 — ranking sixth in runs per game and team slugging percentage, while sitting ninth in collective ERA and eighth in WHIP. A.J. Hinch’s crew is also 14-7 in one-run games this season, and 20 of its 59 wins have been come-from-behind triumphs.

Last year’s Tigers had a power problem. Riley Greene was the only batter to hit more than 18 home runs, and his 24 long balls left him outside the league’s top 40 total. This year’s iteration is markedly better. Greene already has 24 homers and is on pace for an even 40; Spencer Torkelson is projected for 35 and Kerry Carpenter for 27. Above all else, Detroiters should celebrate the improbable career revival of Javier Báez. After a half-decade of free-falling below league averages and replacement metrics, Báez started in center field for the American League in the All-Star Game on Tuesday.

Detroit’s pitching is headlined by incumbent Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, who is the probable starter for this series’ finale on “Sunday Night Baseball.” Despite his dominant 2024, Skubal’s numbers are somehow even better right now — a lower ERA (2.23 from 2.39) and WHIP (0.83 from 0.92), plus a complete-game shutout that he didn’t have last year. The southpaw also leads MLB in fielding independent pitching, strikeouts per nine innings and K:BB ratio.

On the other end, the Rangers are desperate for some legitimate momentum. The 2023 World Series champs have struggled to stay above .500, despite touting a league-best 3.28 team ERA. Texas ranks in the top five in most major pitching categories, and its relief efforts have been thoroughly lights out. The bats have been a glaring disappointment, though. Five of the team’s top 10 hitters are below a .240 average, and bellwether shortstop Corey Seager has been marred by injuries and inconsistencies.

Worse still, Texas’ remaining road is one of the toughest in MLB per strength of schedule. The Rangers can still make a push for the final wild card spot, but to do so, they will need considerably more from underperforming mainstays Marcus Semien (third-lowest slugging percentage of his 13 pro seasons) and Adolis García (a ghastly .279 OBP).

The hosts match Skubal on Sunday with Nathan Eovaldi. Though far quieter in stature and stardom, the 35-year-old right-hander has been spectacular in his late-career renaissance. He’s in the 99 percentile for pitching run value and 97 percentile for walk percentage. His splitter is embarrassing opponents, and he threw seven scoreless innings against these Tigers back on May 11.

Best batters to wear both jerseys (per Baseball Reference WAR):

Iván Rodríguez (50 TEX, 14.2 DET)
Ian Kinsler (35 TEX, 17.6 DET)
Juan González (31.9 TEX, 1.9 DET)

Pitchers:

Kenny Rogers (31.2 TEX, 3.4 DET)
Max Scherzer (21.4 DET, 1.4 TEX)
Joe Coleman (15.6 DET, 6 TEX)
Updated odds

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(Photo of Tarik Skubal: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)