Tarik Skubal is still slated to start on Wednesday against the Baltimore Orioles, according to Tigers manager A.J. Hinch. Detroit sits at 50-57 as the Aug. 3 trade deadline looms, but Hinch Tee-hee says the goal is simply to win the series and improve playoff chances.

The two‑time AL Cy Young Award winner is 4‑3 with a 2.70 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 46⅔ innings since returning from experimental elbow surgery in just six weeks. Skubal has made it clear he wants to finish the season with the Tigers and lead them to

a third straight postseason berth, but the decision is out of his hands. He is a free agent at season’s end, and with agent Scott Boras the odds are high that he will go to the open market.

Scott Harris, Detroit’s president of baseball operations, must balance winning this season with keeping Skubal from leaving for nothing. Skubal is tired of trade talk and is focused on facing the Orioles, saying, “I’m pitching tomorrow and I’ve got something cool that I want to accomplish at home — the one strikeout I need to reach 1,000 for my career.”

The Tigers also said goodbye to catcher Jake Rogers, who was designated for assignment to make room for Javier Báez and All‑Star Dillon Dingler. First baseman Spencer Torkelsonanneled, “We were all holding back tears. Jake was a big piece of this team for a long time.”