LOS ANGELES — The two-time Cy Young Award-winning, dominant version of Tarik Skubal might have finally arrived in Los Angeles.
After giving up three runs in the first inning and five hits in the first two innings, Skubal shut down the Pittsburgh Pirates, retiring 18 of the final 19 batters he faced and striking out 11 in seven innings, giving the Dodgers time to climb back and claim their fifth consecutive win, 4-3, Saturday afternoon.
Three of the five wins have been one-run decisions.
The latest narrow win comes in Skubal’s fourth start for the Dodgers and is his first since the trade that ruined baseball. They lost two of his first three starts and Skubal expressed some dissatisfaction with his own performance after allowing 22 baserunners in his first 17 innings as a Dodger.
He couldn’t have been happy after the first inning. Skubal gave up three consecutive hits – back-to-back singles by Esmerlyn Valdez and Bryan Reynolds and a two-run triple by Oneil Cruz. A ground out scored Cruz and the Pirates had a three-run head start.
Skubal didn’t give up three runs in 10 of his 16 starts for the Detroit Tigers this year (or two of his first three with the Dodgers), let alone three runs in one inning.
Two soft singles dropped in for the Pirates to start the second inning and Skubal was in trouble again. After a bunt moved both runners into scoring position, Skubal put his foot down, striking out Nick Gonzales and Valdez to strand them.
He just kept going from there, retiring the side in order with two strikeouts in the third and fourth innings. A walk interrupted things in the fifth but Skubal struck out the next four batters.
The Pirates didn’t even hit another ball out of the infield until second baseman Tommy Edman ranged onto the outfield grass to catch Jared Triolo’s pop up in the seventh inning and Henry Davis followed with a fly out to left field that ended Skubal’s day.
If Skubal’s full arrival had been slightly delayed, Kyle Tucker’s has been lost in transit.
Tucker’s first season with the Dodgers – the free-agent signing that ruined baseball – has been a disappointment, most painfully in front of his new home fans. Tucker went into Saturday’s game batting just .186 at Dodger Stadium with no hits there since August 2.
A good portion of the home crowd tried to will him out of the slump with a loud ovation before his first at-bat Friday night. He had a chance to reward their positivity when he came up with the bases loaded in the seventh inning but flew out.
He had another chance with two runners on in the fourth inning Saturday but bounced into a forceout. Teoscar Hernandez and Alek Thomas followed with RBI singles to all but erase the Pirates’ getaway against Skubal.
Tucker got another chance in the fifth inning. Mookie Betts was hit by a pitch to start the inning and Max Muncy’s second double of the game put runners at second and third. After Tommy Edman grounded out, Tucker sent a single into right field, scoring both Betts and Muncy to give the Dodgers the lead – and end an 0-for-25 stretch for Tucker at Dodger Stadium.
Skubal passed that one-run lead to the bullpen in the eighth. A one-out double and a passed ball put the tying run at third base for the Pirates but Evan Phillips struck out Bryan Reynolds and Jack Dreyer came in to do the same with Cruz. Tanner Scott closed it out in the ninth.