Tarik Skubal had a perfectly fine Dodgers debut with six strikeouts in six strong innings. But the Dodgers couldn’t score much at all, while the Cubs offense did just enough off Skubal then teed off on the bullpen in a 5-1 win at Wrigley Field, the season-worst fifth straight loss for the Dodgers.
Skubal allowed a home run to Dansby Swanson in the third inning, his only hit allowed the first time through the order. He struck out six, finishing off two of them with changeups, two more with four-seam
fastballs, and one each with his sinker and curveball.
Dodgers defenders made several sharp plays behind Skubal, including two sliding catches in the outfield by Andy Pages and one by Kyle Tucker through the first three innings.
But in the sixth inning, a fly ball to deep right field by Alex Bregman that Tucker appeared to have a beat on simply dropped behind him for a double instead of an out. That put two runners in scoring position with one out. Tommy Edman with the infield in snagged a grounder and threw home to prevent a run from scoring, but a Baltimore chop in the infield into no-man’s land behind the mound to second base fell for a Nico Horner single to score the go-ahead run.
Skubal was only at 85 pitches through six innings, but that was it for him, albeit after a stressful sixth inning, even with the bottom of the Cubs order due up in the seventh.
Alex Vesia allowed a double and single to his three batters faced, allowing two insurance runs in that seventh inning that essentially put the game away given how the Dodgers offense was going on Tuesday.
Hoerner homered in the eighth inning off Edwin Díaz — pitching while down three runs just to get some work after the last four days off, and also allowed a walk and single.
Dodgers relievers allowed five hits and a walk while recording six outs, matching the Dodgers reaching base on offense in nine innings.
Home on the road
It’s been a trying season for Tucker, who has struggled two thirds into his first season with the Dodgers, and even heard boos on Tuesday in his first game back in Chicago since playing for the Cubs last year. Things are going so poorly that Tucker even took an accidental throw from catcher Miguel Amaya off the helmet while standing in the batters box on Tuesday.
But Tucker silenced the boos momentarily with a home run in the second inning to open the scoring.
Eight of Tucker’s 10 home runs have been hit on the road, where he’s hitting .277/.377/.461, compared to just .209/.302/.300 at Dodger Stadium. His 126 wRC+ away from home entering Tuesday was more in line with Tucker’s overall career 133 wRC+.
Hit to left center, it was the only home run this season that Tucker didn’t pull.
Tucker also singled, giving him two hits in the series, and consecutive multi-hit games for the first time since April 3-4 in Washington D.C.
Catcher if you can
Ben Rortvedt started and caught the first seven innings, and fellow Tuesday addition Hunter Feduccia caught the eighth inning. That gave the Dodgers six different catchers used this season, matching 1976 as the most backstops in a season since moving to Los Angeles in 1958.
The Dodgers in 1976 saw Steve Yeager start 108 games behind the plate, Ellie Rodriguez start 21 games, Kevin Pasley 20, Joe Ferguson 12, and Ted Sizemore once, in addition to Sergio Robles catching 16 innings over six games in reserve.
Tuesday particulars
Home runs: Kyle Tucker (10); Dansby Swanson (17), Nico Hoerner (7)
WP — Javier Assad (7-1): 5 2/3 IP, 4 hits, 1 run, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts
LP — Tarik Skubal (7-6): 6 IP, 4 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts
Up next
The series finale at Wrigley Fields is back under the Chicago sun on Wednesday (11:20 a.m. PT; SportsNet LA, MLB Network). Eric Lauer takes the ball on getaway day, with fellow southpaw Shota Imanaga pitching for Chicago.
