The first home appearance for Tarik Skubal at Dodger Stadium began on a rough note.
During Monday’s game, Skubal took the mound for the second time representing the Los Angeles Dodgers following his acquisition from the Detroit Tigers in a major trade-deadline transaction.
Over the course of five innings and 95 pitches thrown, Skubal allowed four hits and three earned runs, though he managed to record six strikeouts. Two of those hits came courtesy of Kansas City standout Jac Caglianone, who instrumentalized the Royals’ early advantage.
Kansas City quickly went to work against Skubal, securing a single a mere four pitches into the game, which eventually translated into an early run when Caglianone delivered another hit later that frame.
With just 13 pitches thrown by Skubal, the Royals had already established a 1-0 lead.
Though Skubal issued a walk during the second inning, he rebounded by striking out two batters to escape further trouble. However, the third inning saw the Royals extend their lead by two runs when Nick Loftin hit a double, followed by a two-run home run from Caglianone.
Skubal enjoyed a flawless fourth inning, closing it out by fanning Michael Massey. This defensive stand followed a bottom-of-the-third rally by Los Angeles, where Shohei Ohtani’s RBI double and Freddie Freeman’s run-scoring single brought the Dodgers within two.
With two down in the fifth, Skubal plunked Loftin and issued a walk to Bobby Witt Jr., setting up another showdown with Caglianone. On this occasion, Skubal got the upper hand, catching the hitter swinging to wrap up the inning—and his night on the mound. The Dodgers went to the bullpen, bringing in Alex Vesia for the start of the sixth.
Just last week, Skubal made his initial appearance for the franchise during a 5-1 defeat against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Despite the team’s loss, his performance showed promise, particularly at the start. He retired every batter faced through the initial two innings and recovered with two quiet frames after yielding a solo blast in the third, finishing the game with two runs surrendered, four hits, and six strikeouts over 86 pitches.
The broadcast of that matchup drew an average of 923,000 viewers on TBS, truTV, and HBO Max, marking the highest regular-season viewership for any TNT Sports network broadcast since 2007.
Even so, the Dodgers have hit an unexpected rough patch, particularly since Skubal’s arrival. Heading into Monday’s game in Kansas City, the club had dropped eight of its previous nine matchups. Consecutive series sweeps suffered against the Cubs and the Boston Red Sox knocked them out of the top spot in the overall standings, although their 70-48 record keeps them comfortably ahead in the NL West.
Further details will be added to this story as they become available.
