CHICAGO (AP) — Tarik Skubal wants to be “a chameleon in a sense” with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Blending in is normally quite difficult for a player with two Cy Young Awards, but Los Angeles isn't exactly a normal team.
Skubal is learning his way around the loaded Dodgers after he was acquired in a blockbuster trade with Detroit on Saturday night. The left-hander will make his first start for the two-time defending World Series champions on Tuesday
night against the Chicago Cubs.
“The entire focus of this organization is on winning championships, and that’s my entire focus of playing baseball,” Skubal said Monday in his first public comments since the Dodgers announced the trade, “so we’re very much aligned and I’m ready to go out there and compete and give this organization and city everything that I’ve got.”
Skubal joins a rotation that also includes All-Stars Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Justin Wrobleski, to go along with Roki Sasaki and Eric Lauer. Shohei Ohtani is slated to play catch this week as he continues his recovery from left knee soreness and a right biceps injury. Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow also are working their way back from injuries.
Los Angeles acquired Kris Bubic in a trade with Kansas City in the runup to Monday's deadline, but the lefty is on the 60-day injured list with shoulder and elbow issues.
Emmet Sheehan was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City before the Dodgers' series opener against the Cubs. The 26-year-old right-hander was 1-7 with a 5.98 ERA in his last 10 starts.
“I think for everyone, I think it’s the right thing to do,” manager Dave Roberts said. “It’s going to give him a chance to reset.”
Los Angeles also placed catcher Dalton Rushing on the 10-day injured list with right elbow inflammation. Catcher Chuckie Robinson and right-hander Jonathan Hernández were brought up from the minors, and right-hander Wyatt Mills was designated for assignment.
“Dalton said that he’s had bouts of this in the past,” Roberts said. “So I guess it’s a good thing that he has kind of dealt with it. But I don’t think anyone knows how long it’s going to be."
The Dodgers reacquired catchers Ben Rortvedt and Hunter Feduccia in a pair of trades on Monday, and Roberts said Rortvedt is expected to join the team on Tuesday.
With top catcher Will Smith also on the IL with a neck issue, depth behind the plate is a potential concern for the NL West leaders. But they sure look as if they are primed to make a run at another championship, especially with Skubal in the fold.
“It’s always nice writing a starting pitcher in your lineup like that,” a smiling Roberts said.
The 29-year-old Skubal pitched 6 2/3 innings of three-run ball against Baltimore in his final start for Detroit on Wednesday. The Tigers blew a 7-0 lead on their way to a 10-9 loss to the Orioles in 12 innings.
The acquisition of Skubal reinforces the Dodgers' status as the majors' most imposing franchise and public enemy No. 1 for fans of other teams.
“Every team could trade for me, you know. Every team could make that acquisition,” Skubal said, “and I don't really sympathize with people that blame the Dodgers for anything they’ve done. They’ve developed a really good organization. They draft well, they acquire talent really well, retain talent. It’s a winning organization.”
Skubal is 7-5 with a 2.79 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 96 2/3 innings this year. He also has performed well in the postseason, going 2-1 with a 2.04 ERA in six playoff starts over the past two years.
Skubal is eligible for free agency after this season, and the trade gives the Dodgers an opportunity to begin making their case for a long-term deal. But he stayed away from any free agency talk on Monday, keeping the focus on helping his new team right now.
“I’m not going to sit here and say I’m the big piece,” he said. “They’ve been a pretty good baseball team without me. So I’m just going to try and show up and kind of be a chameleon in a sense and fit right into these guys and just, you know, gel with them. They’ve got the winning recipe. They understand what it takes to win.”
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