Even in loss, Skubal 'plenty good' in L.A. debut
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- Tarik Skubal pitched six innings in his Dodgers debut Tuesday, allowing two runs and four hits with six strikeouts, but the Dodgers lost 5-1 to the Chicago Cubs — their fifth consecutive defeat.
- Skubal landed just 51 strikes on 85 pitches, a 60% strike rate the source calls the lowest in any of his starts over the past three seasons; Cubs manager Craig Counsell countered that hitters still have to 'cheat' for his fastball.
- Manager Dave Roberts pulled Skubal after 85 pitches despite Skubal saying he had more in the tank, citing not wanting to push him following a prior elbow injury; Skubal said, 'I'm going to trust him in those decisions.'
- Skubal was acquired from Detroit days earlier in a headline-making deal; he is a two-time American League Cy Young Award winner and a pending free agent the source says could anchor a third straight championship push.
- The Dodgers still lead their division by nine games but have fallen behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the best record in baseball, per the source.
- Rehabbing Dodgers pitchers Tyler Glasnow threw 2⅓ innings for Single-A Ontario and Blake Snell managed just 3� innings for Triple-A Oklahoma City (pulled early due to a high pitch count), while Shohei Ohtani (knee) still has no date to begin playing catch.
Why it matters: For a Dodgers team chasing a third straight title, Skubal's debut is the marquee acquisition — yet his three-year-low 60% strike rate and the team's fifth straight loss show uneven early returns before injured arms Snell, Glasnow, and Ohtani rejoin the rotation.
