The Los Angeles Dodgers are in a serious hole, dropping their fifth straight game, a season-worst skid that culminated in a 5-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. This brutal slide came despite Tarik Skubal delivering a perfectly fine debut on the mound, a real head-scratcher when a new arm is supposed to inject some life into the club.
Skubal’s Strong Start, Defensive Woes
Skubal kicked off his Dodgers career by fanning six Cubs through six solid innings. He flashed a wicked arsenal, finishing off two batters with his changeup, two more with four-seam fastballs, and one each with his sinker and curveball. The only real blemish on his record through the early innings was a Dansby Swanson home run in the third. Dodgers defenders did him some favors too, with Andy Pages making two sliding catches in the outfield and Kyle Tucker grabbing another. But then the sixth inning hit. Alex Bregman launched a fly ball to deep right that Tucker seemed to have a read on, only for it to fall behind him for a double, putting two runners in scoring position. Tommy Edman made a clutch play, snagging a grounder and throwing home to stop a run, but a Baltimore chop off Nico Hoerner found no-man’s land in the infield, scoring the go-ahead run. Skubal was only at 85 pitches after that stressful sixth, but his day was done.
Offense Stalls, Bullpen Crumbles, Tucker’s Road Warrior Act
The Dodgers offense was nowhere to be found, managing a measly one run the entire game. They only reached base as many times as their relievers recorded outs in the later innings, which tells you everything about their anemic attack. Things got worse when Alex Vesia entered in the seventh, immediately giving up a double and a single to his three batters, allowing two more insurance runs that basically sealed the deal. Edwin Díaz came in during the eighth, seemingly for some work after four days off, but gave up a Hoerner homer, a walk, and a single. Relievers combined for five hits and a walk while only getting six outs.
The lone bright spot? Kyle Tucker. It’s been a tough first season for him, and he even got booed in Chicago, his old stomping grounds. He even took an accidental throw off the helmet from catcher Miguel Amaya in the batter’s box. But Tucker momentarily silenced the boos with a solo home run in the second inning to open the scoring. Get this: eight of Tucker’s ten dingers this season have come on the road, where he’s hitting a respectable .277/.377/.461 with a 126 wRC+. Compare that to his struggles at Dodger Stadium, where he’s hitting just .209/.302/.300. This road warrior mentality is cool, but it wasn’t enough to stop the bleeding tonight. The Dodgers just need to find a way to break this miserable streak, and fast.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by True Blue LA.
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