The Detroit Tigers received a massive sigh of relief this week after ace left-hander Tarik Skubal confirmed he's good to go for Monday's series opener against the Boston Red Sox at Comerica Park. The reigning two-time American League Cy Young winner gave fans a scare during Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park, but he's ready to take the mound as scheduled.

It was the seventh inning when things got tense. Skubal, 29, shook his left arm, removed his glove, and rubbed his elbow—a sight that sends chills down any pitcher's spine. Manager A.J. Hinch, assistant athletic trainer Kelly Rhoades, and catcher Dillon Dingler rushed to the mound for a check-in. After throwing a practice pitch, Skubal stayed in the game and proceeded to strike out the side to finish his outing. Hinch later revealed the lefty felt "a funny feeling on the outside of his arm," but Skubal downplayed the incident.

"I don't really know," Skubal said, still trying to make sense of it roughly 27 hours before Monday's start. "You've heard the word zinger, I guess, but it wasn't really like a nerve thing, so I don't know."

Between starts, Skubal threw a bullpen session before Friday's game and came away confident. "I think a lot of people were [wondering about the injury scare], but I don't think I was one of them," he said. "I felt like I would be already coming out of it. After next-day soreness, I was like, 'Yeah, I'm going to be all right.'"

With Skubal healthy, the Tigers' rotation gets a major boost as they face a tough Red Sox lineup. For a team looking to make noise in the AL Central, having their ace on the mound is exactly what the doctor ordered—no zingers required.