DETROIT — The anticipation built slowly, through the course of 45 days since Tarik Skubal’s last start in the major leagues, through the 38 days since he had an innovative surgery to remove a loose body from his elbow and through the accelerated recovery that led him here quicker than anyone on the outside first imagined.Even the night before Skubal pitched 4 2/3 innings in a 3-1 Tigers loss, the hope was palpable.“That’s our guy,” Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson said Friday. “We love playing behind everybody, but there’s just a little different vibe in the clubhouse on days he’s on the bump.”When news first hit that Skubal needed surgery, the fear was he would miss close to three months. But the NanoNeedle procedure — using a smaller arthroscope that had never before been used on an MLB pitcher — cut that timeline drastically. Skubal exited his operation without severe swelling. He was throwing again within six days. He played catch four days in a row. By the fourth day, his arm practically felt normal.Twelve days after surgery, he was throwing a bullpen at close to full go.“Insane,” Torkelson said. “It’s ridiculous, dude. He’s an absolute animal. That shows you how bad he wants to win.”Even with eyes all around the sport watching closely, even with implications involving the trade deadline and Skubal’s impending free agency inescapable, the central hope Saturday at Progressive Field was that Skubal’s return could bolster a Tigers team that crashed into the cellar without him. The Tigers had just started to rebuild momentum, entering play with seven wins in their past 10 games.“It’s Tarik Skubal,” rookie Kevin McGonigle said. “It was great to see him in the locker room getting ready before his start day.”Said manager A.J. Hinch: “I know he’s going to try to put this team on his back like he always does and deliver a good outing.”Of course, this return came against the Cleveland Guardians, a team that plays a chaotic style and has forged a respectful but heated rivalry with Skubal and the Tigers. Of course, it came at Progressive Field, a site of both triumphant playoff roars and also moments of bewildering disbelief. There was the Lane Thomas grand slam in 2024. The dribbler Skubal spiked between his legs and into nowhere last September. Skubal has both popped champagne and tasted bitter defeat in this ballpark before.As Skubal warmed in the bullpen, Cleveland fans booed when his name was announced in the pregame lineup ceremony. During tense moments that followed, they chanted in a mocking tone. Skuuuuballll.On the mound, Skubal’s stuff was as premium as ever. His fastball averaged 97.8 mph, up from 96.6 before his surgery. He generated nine whiffs, including five with his vaunted changeup. But the Guardians also played the foil. Even on a day where they lost Ángel Martínez, Chase DeLauter and José Ramirez to injury and had Rhys Hoskins playing outfield for the first time in eight years, Cleveland irritated, bunted, executed a double steal and ultimately spoiled Skubal’s reinstatement.Skubal reached his targeted pitch count of 80 over his 4 2/3 innings Saturday. The Guardians generated baserunners via five hits, one walk and one hit by pitch. They scored an unearned run in the second inning after Dillon Dingler’s throw on that double steal sailed into left field. Cleveland mounted pressure in each of Skubal’s first four frames, but the biggest blow came in the third, when Skubal missed his spot on an 0-2 fastball to Daniel Schneeman, a left-handed batter who entered as an injury replacement for DeLauter.Skubal intended to throw a fastball up and away. He left the pitch elevated toward the letters, on the inner third of the strike zone. Schneeman timed the pitch up and sent it sailing into the right-field seats for a two-run homer. It was only the seventh time in Skubal’s career he has surrendered a home run to a left-handed batter. Oddly enough, three of those seven have come in 0-2 counts.