08/22/26 10:24:00
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08/22 22:22 CDT Skubal shakes off 3-run first inning, then settles in to
dominate for his 1st win as a Dodger
Skubal shakes off 3-run first inning, then settles in to dominate for his 1st
win as a Dodger
By BETH HARRIS
AP Sports Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --- Tarik Skubal started out shaky, putting the Los Angeles
Dodgers in a 3-0 hole in the first inning. Then, the two-time Cy Young Award
winner dug in to flash the stuff that made him baseball's prize acquisition at
the trade deadline.
Skubal struck out 11 --- one off his season best --- to earn his first win
since joining the two-time defending World Series champions, 4-3 over the
Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday night.
"That's the guy that we needed. Completing seven innings, reset the bullpen,
great outing," manager Dave Roberts said. "He's very physical, and you can see
that when he needs to reach back for more, it's in there."
Skubal was 0-2 with a 3.18 ERA in his first three starts with the Dodgers, who
acquired him in a blockbuster deal with the Detroit Tigers earlier this month.
After a rough first inning in which he gave up three consecutive hits that led
to three runs, Skubal (8-7) settled down and retired 20 of his final 23
batters. The left-hander allowed five hits with one walk.
"I'm not gonna be perfect out there, but I definitely need to be better in the
first inning," he said. "But other than that, I thought my execution was good.
The stuff coming out of my hand is as good as it's ever been."
Skubal was still throwing hard over his final two innings, reaching 99 mph to
get Jared Triolo to pop up and topping 100 mph in finishing off Jake Mangum for
his final strikeout.
"I feel like I've always been able to sustain velocity, from pitch one to pitch
however many I'm allowed to go," he said. "When I feel confident commanding the
ball, that's when I feel like I can really start letting it rip and it's going
to go where I want it to go."
Skubal has been studying the game-planning and bullpen sessions of his rotation
mates, including fellow lefty Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. He also
watched Shohei Ohtani throw a live bullpen session before the game.
"We got a ton of really good arms here, a ton of talent, and it's just about us
going out there and playing baseball and executing," he said. "When we're doing
that, we're the best team in the league."
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