The Tigers' ace struck out 10 batters across seven scoreless innings in another strong outing for the reigning AL Cy Young winner.

Detroit Tigers reliever Will Vest watched in admiration as Tigers lefty Tarik Skubal and Astros righty Hunter Brown clashed in a battle of the aces.

DETROIT — Somewhere in the blur of a white-knuckle pitching duel, Will Vest looked at teammates in the Detroit Tigers bullpen and made a joke. “Actually,” Vest said later, “not really a joke.”

Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal became the first pitcher in the MLB to reach 200 strikeouts for the second straight year.

Tarik Skubal hit the 200-strikeout mark Tuesday night and, for the second straight season, got there before anyone else. The Tigers’ ace punched out 10 Astros over six-plus scoreless innings at Comerica Park, another metronome outing from the reigning AL Cy Young winner and this year’s front-runner.

Brown is prepping for his latest Detroit homecoming. Friends and family will fill the stands. And something about this one feels different.

Familiar voice Jason Benetti, the Tigers' full-time play-by-play announcer filling in on football for the day, called in a favor to get Hinch in for a quick call about the manager's thoughts on the team rocking Honolulu blue.