CHICAGO (AP) — Tarik Skubal made his Los Angeles Dodgers debut on Tuesday night, pitching six effective innings against the Chicago Cubs.
It was the first start for Skubal since he was acquired in a trade with Detroit on Saturday night. The two-time Cy Young Award winner was booed when he was introduced with the starting lineups and once again when he went out to the mound for his first career appearance at Wrigley Field.
Skubal struck out three while
retiring his first six batters. He surrendered a leadoff homer to Dansby Swanson on his first pitch of the third, and Chicago put two runners on with two down. But Skubal retired Alex Bregman on a flyball to center fielder Andy Pages, ending the inning.
Skubal allowed a second run on Nico Hoerner's infield chopper with two down in the sixth, giving the Cubs a 2-1 lead. He struck out six and walked two while throwing 85 pitches, 51 for strikes.
The NL West-leading Dodgers backed Skubal with a couple of stellar defensive plays. Pages robbed Seiya Suzuki and Pedro Ramírez with two terrific catches, and Kyle Tucker made a lunging grab on Nico Hoerner's sinking liner to right in the second.
Los Angeles was hoping Skubal can play a key role in its third consecutive World Series championship. The left-hander went 4-1 with a 1.95 ERA in his last six starts for the Tigers, striking out 50 in 37 innings.
“He just does everything right,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “And I’ve vetted him a lot with coaches and players, and in between the lines, he’s a dog. Outside the lines, he’s humble, respectful, does and says the right things, and it’s like, that’s what you want. Just fortunate that he’s pitching for us.”
Skubal's arrival cemented the Dodgers’ status as the majors’ most imposing franchise and public enemy No. 1 for fans of other teams. A plane flew over Wrigley hours before his first start with a banner that read “THE DODGERS RUINED BASEBALL,” but the message appeared to be upside down.
“I don’t really sympathize with people that blame the Dodgers for anything they’ve done,” Skubal said Monday. "They’ve developed a really good organization. They draft well, they acquire talent really well, retain talent. It’s a winning organization.”
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