The Los Angeles Dodgers hit a major speed bump on Sunday, placing pitcher Tarik Skubal on the bereavement list. This move immediately throws his final regular season turn in the rotation, scheduled for Friday against the San Francisco Giants, into serious doubt. Players on the bereavement list can be away for three to seven days, and with Friday right around the corner, it is a tight window.
What’s Going On With Skubal And His Spot?
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, however, sounds like he expects Skubal back sooner rather than later, telling reporters he believes Skubal will only miss “a couple days.” “Some personal stuff going on, but he’s fine,” Roberts said, via MLB.com’s Sonja Chen. We’re all hoping that’s the case, especially with such a crucial final stretch. It is a tough break for Skubal, who just pitched Saturday in a wild 10-4 win over the Giants. That game saw him give up four runs on eight hits over five innings, walking two and tying his season-low with only three strikeouts. It was actually the first time in his nine starts with the Dodgers that Skubal had allowed more than three runs, according to The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya. After that outing, Skubal wasn’t sugarcoating it. “Obviously, I wasn’t very good today, but the offense and defense and bullpen picked me up big time, and that’s what good teams do,” he told Fredo Cervantes. You gotta love that honesty, but it makes you wonder about the timing of this absence. Since coming over from the Detroit Tigers before the trade deadline, Skubal has been solid, rocking a 2.95 ERA and a 4-2 record with 60 strikeouts across 55 innings in those nine starts.
Recapping That Wild Saturday W and Who’s Stepping Up
That Giants game Saturday was a total back-and-forth slugfest. The Dodgers jumped out to an early 2-0 lead thanks to a Max Muncy RBI double in the first and a Mookie Betts run-scoring single in the second. But San Francisco fired back, tying it up at 4-4 in the third when Victor Bericoto absolutely crushed a 2-run homer off Skubal, on a fastball left hanging right in the middle of the strike zone. After that, these two teams basically traded runs through the third, fourth, and fifth innings, keeping things tied. The Dodgers finally pulled away for good with a 2-run hit from Tommy Edman and an RBI single by Miguel Rojas. In the next inning, they poured it on with three more runs, including an RBI from Will Smith and a 2-run single from Josue De Paula.
To fill Skubal’s active roster spot, the team called up Emmet Sheehan from Triple-A Oklahoma City. Sheehan has been dealing, pitching 5 1/3 scoreless innings with just one hit allowed and nine strikeouts recently, taking over for opener Jack Dreyer in a 3-1 win. Before he was optioned previously, he allowed just one run over 11 2/3 innings with 15 strikeouts in two starts. Talk about a guy ready for the moment!
So, what’s next? All eyes are on Friday to see if Skubal makes it back for that final start against the Giants. If not, Sheehan looks primed to step in and try to keep that “good teams do” mentality alive. This team needs to finish strong.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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