The Los Angeles Dodgers nabbed a 2-0 win against the San Francisco Giants, thanks to a seriously dominant performance from their star pitcher, Tarik Skubal. This guy came to play, shutting down the Giants offense completely.
Skubal Throws a Gem, Sets the Tone
After a pretty rough go against these same Giants just a week prior, Skubal looked like he’d had enough and was ready to show everyone what he’s made of. He absolutely carved up the Giants lineup, striking out a ridiculous 10 batters on only 75 pitches. He allowed just three hits and didn’t give up a single walk. Honestly, the Giants were lucky to even get those three hits. Skubal, the southpaw, gave up only two hard hits all night and was attacking hitters from the jump. He faced 23 batters, threw 21 first-pitch strikes, and had a whopping 61% of his pitches land in the strike zone, which is a wild rate for any starter. Overall, 80% of his pitches were strikes, with a 48% chase rate. He allowed zero damage, even with a 63% zone swing rate. With such a low pitch count, Skubal probably could’ve gone the distance for a complete-game shutout, but the Dodgers wanted to get their bullpen some work. Roki Sasaki came in and delivered a strong one-inning cameo, punching out two with no baserunners, and Tanner Scott locked it down with a clean inning and two more strikeouts for the save.
Offense Quiet, But Key Bats Heating Up
While Skubal was doing his thing, the Dodgers’ offense was pretty quiet overall, managing just seven hits and a walk. However, Will Smith continued his hot streak, going 3-for-4. That’s huge momentum for postseason play, especially since they just got Smith back a few weeks ago. His experience means he won’t need much time to get back in rhythm. Smith didn’t drive in any runs, though. Both of the Dodgers’ runs came on solo shots, one by Teoscar Hernandez and another by Andy Pages. Pages also added another hit, going 2-for-3, stacking multiple good offensive days since returning from the injured list. Most of these guys are probably just trying to stay healthy and rest up for the postseason grind that’s coming.
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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