LOS ANGELES — New Dodgers pitcher Tarik Skubal will be his Dodgers debut on Tuesday at Wrigley Field in the middle game of a road series against the Chicago Cubs.
The Dodgers on Sunday finalized their trade for Skubal, winner of the last two American League Cy Young Awards with the Detroit Tigers. Pitcher River Ryan plus minor leaguers Zyhir Hope and Brady Smith were sent to the Tigers in the deal.
Skubal last pitched for Detroit last Wednesday, throwing 92 pitches in 6 2/3 innings against the Baltimore
Orioles at Comerica Park. On the season Skubal has a 2.79 ERA in 16 starts, with 116 strikeouts and 14 walks. He’ll be on five days rest on Tuesday against the Cubs, in what will be his first career start at Wrigley Field.
“Tarik will slot in for us on Tuesday,” Dodgers president of baseball operations said on Sunday at Dodger Stadium. “Eric Lauer has been unbelievable for us, and he’s kind of sliding into more a bullpen role right now.”
Lauer was acquired via trade from the Blue Jays on May 17 after getting designated for assignment by Toronto. The veteran left-hander has appeared in nine games for the Dodgers — eight starts and one bulk relief appearance following an opener — and has done everything that was asked of him and then some. Lauer has a 2.96 ERA and 4.06 xERA with the Dodgers, who have won all nine of his appearances, with 30 strikeouts and 13 walks in 51 2/3 innings.
Justin Wrobleski will start Monday and Roki Sasaki on Wednesday against the Cubs, sandwiching Skubal. The Dodgers also have Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Emmet Sheehan in the rotation, and Blake Snell is expected to be activated after one more rehab start on Tuesday for Triple-A Oklahoma City. Those six starters, before considering the eventual returns of Tyler Glasnow — who starts a rehab assignment this week — and Shohei Ohtani — who will play catch when the Dodgers are in Chicago — make for a crowded rotation, which is why Lauer has been floated as a candidate to be traded before Monday’s 3 p.m. PT deadline, perhaps somewhere where he might get a chance to start.
“Obviously as we get guys back, we’ll figure it out. The world changes day by day. We hope we have those problems,” Friedman said. “We’re still having a number of conversations on a number of different fronts. We’re always trying to balance, keeping one eye on the present and one on the future. A lot of different conversations on a lot of different fronts. How likely is tough to say, but we’ll continue to work through tomorrow.”
Skubal, who was in West Sacramento with the Tigers to play the A’s this weekend, wasn’t in the Dodgers clubhouse during media availability before Sunday’s game, but he’s expected to join the team at Dodger Stadium at some point on Sunday, then head to Chicago with the team on Sunday night.
“Obviously that was the only team he knew, a lot of great memories,” manager Dave Roberts said of Skubal’s time with the Tigers. “But he’s excited to be a part of this.”
