Back-to-back reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal still hasn’t recorded a win for the Los Angeles Dodgers. That’s the brutal truth after his third start since getting traded from the Detroit Tigers. Skubal pitched six innings against the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday, surrendering seven hits and two runs (only one earned) while striking out seven, but it wasn’t enough to secure that elusive first W in Dodger blue.
A Rollercoaster Welcome to L.A.
It was a rude welcome to the mound from the jump. Brewers leadoff hitter William Contreras singled on the second pitch he saw, and Jake Bauers followed up with another hit on Skubal’s first pitch to him. Talk about pressure! Somehow, our guy managed to escape that first inning without giving up a run. But the second inning? That’s when things got messy. Skubal opened strong, striking out Gary Sanchez, but then he walked the bases loaded after an eight-pitch battle with Contreras. Milwaukee finally got on the board when Tommy Edman made an error, missing a throw from Mookie Betts trying to get a force-out at second. All told, Skubal needed a whopping 33 pitches to get through that second inning alone. This was a challenging outing, where he threw a career-high 109 pitches, with 77 for strikes, and also gave up two walks. It wasn’t the dominant stuff we expect from a Cy Young champ.
Glimpses of Greatness, Then Giving It Back
After that second-inning struggle, Skubal actually settled in, cruising through the third and fourth innings with ease. It looked like he was finding his rhythm. The Dodgers even rallied for him, with Max Muncy tying the game with a solo homer in the bottom of the fourth. The momentum felt like it was shifting! But then, just like that, Skubal gave the lead right back in the fifth inning on an RBI single by Bauers, his third hit of the game. You could see the frustration when he left the mound after that inning, and who could blame him? He was already at 95 pitches, but the lefty hurler came back out for the sixth and absolutely dominated, pitching a perfect 1-2-3 inning and striking out the side. What a show of grit! Dodgers manager Dave Roberts then made the call, sending out Edgardo Henriquez to start the seventh, ending Skubal’s day. Unfortunately, the bullpen couldn’t hold it, as Alex Vesia also took the mound in the seventh, and the Brewers promptly extended their lead to 4-1.
The Dodgers brought in Skubal hoping he would help them secure a third straight World Series title. But so far, he’s only shown flashes of the incredible form that made him the best pitcher in the majors. He will get a much-needed layoff before returning to the mound next Sunday, August 23rd, in a scheduled start against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Can he finally notch that first win and start living up to the massive expectations? Everyone’s watching.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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