08/04/26 09:20:00
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08/04 21:18 CDT Tarik Skubal pitches 6 effective innings in Dodgers debut
against Cubs
Tarik Skubal pitches 6 effective innings in Dodgers debut against Cubs
By JAY COHEN
AP Baseball Writer
CHICAGO (AP) --- Tarik Skubal made his Los Angeles Dodgers debut on Tuesday
night, pitching six effective innings against the Chicago Cubs.
It was the first start for Skubal since he was acquired in a trade with Detroit
on Saturday night. The two-time Cy Young Award winner was booed when he was
introduced with the starting lineups and once again when he went out to the
mound for his first career appearance at Wrigley Field.
Skubal struck out three while retiring his first six batters. He surrendered a
leadoff homer to Dansby Swanson on his first pitch of the third, and Chicago
put two runners on with two down. But Skubal retired Alex Bregman on a flyball
to center fielder Andy Pages, ending the inning.
Skubal allowed a second run on Nico Hoerner's infield chopper with two down in
the sixth, giving the Cubs a 2-1 lead. He struck out six and walked two while
throwing 85 pitches, 51 for strikes.
The NL West-leading Dodgers backed Skubal with a couple of stellar defensive
plays. Pages robbed Seiya Suzuki and Pedro Ramrez with two terrific catches,
and Kyle Tucker made a lunging grab on Nico Hoerner's sinking liner to right in
the second.
Los Angeles was hoping Skubal can play a key role in its third consecutive
World Series championship. The left-hander went 4-1 with a 1.95 ERA in his last
six starts for the Tigers, striking out 50 in 37 innings.
"He just does everything right," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "And I've
vetted him a lot with coaches and players, and in between the lines, he's a
dog. Outside the lines, he's humble, respectful, does and says the right
things, and it's like, that's what you want. Just fortunate that he's pitching
for us."
Skubal's arrival cemented the Dodgers' status as the majors' most imposing
franchise and public enemy No. 1 for fans of other teams. A plane flew over
Wrigley hours before his first start with a banner that read "THE DODGERS
RUINED BASEBALL," but the message appeared to be upside down.
"I don't really sympathize with people that blame the Dodgers for anything
they've done," Skubal said Monday. "They've developed a really good
organization. They draft well, they acquire talent really well, retain talent.
It's a winning organization."
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