Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Tarik Skubal will take another shot at his first win with his new club on Saturday in a home start against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Since arriving in a trade with the Detroit Tigers on Aug. 2, the two-time reigning American League Cy Young Award winner has made three starts, going 0-2 with a 3.18 ERA. He took a loss in his Dodgers debut, 5-1 against the Chicago Cubs on Aug. 4, and again vs. the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday, 6-2.
Skubal (7-7, 2.85 ERA) has pitched well against the Pirates in his career, going 3-0 with a 2.45 ERA in five appearances (four starts).
The lack of a win for Skubal with the Dodgers is more related to an offense that has struggled to provide run support. The team’s offense emerged during a series at Colorado this week, but getting going at home is the focus now.
The hitters did just enough Friday during a 5-4 victory in 10 innings in the series opener against the Pirates. Tommy Edman had an RBI single in the 10th to win it, while Mookie Betts had a two-run single and Max Muncy hit a two-run home run.
Home games have been an issue for Los Angeles outfielder Kyle Tucker, who was batting just .189 with a .558 OPS at home heading into Friday’s game. He then went 0-for-4 with a walk, including a forceout in the 10th inning with the game-winning run at second base.
“it’s been a struggle in the sense that I’d like to help our team win and perform better for the guys in the clubhouse and the fans that come to the games,” Tucker told reporters Friday. “In that aspect, I wish I would’ve done better this year. But we’ve still got a month-and-a-half left and the playoffs coming up, so it’s not over yet.”
On Friday, the Dodgers learned they will be without center fielder Andy Pages for at least four weeks after he was hit in the back of the left hand by a Bubba Chandler pitch. Pages suffered a fracture on the 100.2 mph pitch.
The Pirates will start right-hander Jared Jones (2-5, 4.78 ERA) on Saturday after he took the loss in each of his last four starts. The Los Angeles-area native had one of his best starts of the season last Saturday against the Boston Red Sox, but to no avail.
Jones allowed just one run over five innings but also felt the sting of no run support in the Pirates’ 4-0 loss. In two career starts against the Dodgers, he is 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA.
Hoping to make the most of a nine-game road trip with their wild-card hopes hanging in the balance, the Pirates lost the opener and fell 6 1/2 games back in their chase for a postseason spot.
“We just have to keep going,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. We have to keep competing like we have all year. … That’s the expectation through the remainder of the season.”
Nick Gonzales had a pair of RBI singles for Pittsburgh on Friday, while Oneil Cruz hit a two-run home run in his third game since returning from a broken hand.
–Field Level Media
