Is Tarik Skubal injured? Tigers fans fear the worst after surprising removal [UPDATED]

The Detroit Tigers' return to the postseason started about as well as the team could've hoped. Detroit's offense jumped on Astros starter Framber Valdez for three early runs in Game 1 of the Wild Card series, and Tarik Skubal took over from there.

The presumptive AL Cy Young Award winner was dominant on Tuesday afternoon, striking out six while allowing just four hits over six shutout innings. This was the formula that Detroit rode to its improbable playoff berth, and it worked as well in October as it had down the stretch of the regular season.

And then, just when it seemed like the Tigers were on cruise control, the entire city of Detroit was forced to hold its breath — and started forming prayer circles for its star pitcher's health.

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Tarik Skubal on injury watch after leaving Game 1 start early

Skubal finished the sixth inning at just 88 pitches. It seemed virtually guaranteed that manager A.J. Hinch would let him go one more, especially considering the rhythm he'd been in all afternoon. But instead it was reliever Will Vest, not Skubal, who came trotting to the mound to start the bottom of the seventh. Was this just Hinch deploying some strategy and choosing to ride baseball's hottest bullpen? Or did something happen to Skubal that forced him from the game?

This is all speculation until we hear something from player or manager after the game, but there's reason to believe that Skubal may have hurt himself at some point during his start. He took a comebacker off his right hand in the bottom of the second:

And he also got a visit from the training staff for what appeared to be some sort of leg issue after throwing a 100-mph fastball in the bottom of the sixth. Neither issue seemed significant at the time, but it's hard to imagine that Skubal wouldn't have been allowed to at least start the seventh if he were at full health.

The lefty is easily Detroit's most important player, the foundation upon which the rest of the team's winning formula is built. It's still far too early to say whether Skubal will be forced to miss any time, but if he is, it could shake up the AL playoff bracket considerably.

UPDATE: Manager A.J. Hinch revealed Skubal was dealing with cramps, so his exit wasn't a serious concern. Tigers fans can breath a big sigh of relief.