Tarik Skubal walked through some seriously choppy waters in the first inning on Saturday night, but man, did he turn it around. The Dodgers snagged a clutch 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at Dodger Stadium, extending their win streak to five games, the longest since way back in May. This marks their fourth streak of at least five wins this season, proving these guys know how to string victories together.
Skubal Shakes Off The Early Jitters
Yeah, the first inning was rough. The Pirates jumped on Skubal, bunching three hits together, capped by former Dodgers farmhand Oneil Cruz’s two-run triple. Cruz then scored on a groundout, making it 3-0 right out of the gate. Five of the first Pirates batters got hits, and Skubal didn’t log a single strikeout. You had to wonder what was going on. But then, it was like a switch flipped. Skubal absolutely dialed it in, retiring 18 of the next 19 batters he faced, including four straight strikeouts at one point! He finished the night going seven innings, his longest outing in his four starts with the Dodgers, and racked up 11 strikeouts. That’s a huge bounce back, matching Justin Wrobleski for the most K’s by a Dodgers pitcher this season. What a gutsy performance to lock down the win!
Offense Wakes Up, Bullpen Closes It Out
The Dodgers offense took its sweet time to get going, not getting a hit until the fourth inning. But they made Pirates starter Jared Jones work for it, chasing him after just 87 pitches to get 12 outs. When they finally broke through, they did it with authority, scoring two runs in the fourth and another two in the fifth. Max Muncy was clutch, delivering a double that was key to both scoring frames. He had three hits on the night and scored after each double. Everyone’s been talking about the lack of production from the non-Andy-Pages outfielders this season, especially with Pages out for at least four weeks with a broken hand. But on Saturday, all three outfielders drove in runs! Teoscar Hernández singled home the first run, Alek Thomas, just called up from Triple-A, drove in the second, and Kyle Tucker singled home a pair in the fifth to give the Dodgers their first lead. That was a big moment for Tucker, who snapped an 0-for-26 skid at Dodger Stadium. The bullpen then did its job. Evan Phillips struck out two in the eighth, and Jack Dreyer stranded the tying run at second by striking out Cruz. Tanner Scott pitched a clean ninth with a strikeout of his own for his 19th save. The pitching staff combined for 15 strikeouts, matching their season high!
What a win! These guys are rolling, and they’ll look to keep that momentum going tomorrow against the Pirates. Blake Snell is set to toe the rubber, trying to keep this streak alive at Dodger Stadium at 1:10 p.m. It’s all about building on this, keeping the wins coming.
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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