ARLINGTON — Sensing the possibility of a special pitching matchup, ESPN picked up Sunday’s series finale between the Rangers and Detroit Tigers and moved it to primetime.

Detroit is throwing Cy Young Award winner and favorite to repeat Tarik Skubal. The Rangers will throw a guy who flirted with a no-hitter this season. It’s just not going to be Nathan Eovaldi or Jacob deGrom.

Shortly after completing his postgame press conference following the Rangers 4-1 win over Detroit, manager Bruce Bochy returned to announce that Eovaldi had been scratched with back stiffness that flared up during pre-game Saturday. The Rangers will re-evaluate him and consider potential treatments, but felt it would be foolish to try to have him pitch.

Instead, Jacob Latz, who has a 3.00 ERA, mostly in relief, will start. Latz’s last start was June 24 at Baltimore, when he took a no-hitter to the seventh inning before allowing a hit. He has been used just four times in the 25 days since.

Skubal, who beat the Rangers in Detroit in May, is 10-3 and is third in the majors in ERA (2.23), second in strikeouts per nine innings (11.38) and sixth in innings pitched (122). He was the AL starter for Tuesday’s All-Star Game.

Eovaldi has a 1.58 ERA in 91 innings. The ERA would lead the majors, but since qualifying is based on one inning per team game played, he falls eight innings shy. He missed a month with some elbow inflammation.

The game, scheduled for 6:10, remains in prime time, though it may no longer be the prime pitching matchup the network had craved.

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