At the starting of Saturday’s recreation, Tarik Skubal suffered his worst inning as a member of the Dodgers.
By the finish of the group’s eventual 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, however, the marquee commerce deadline acquisition had rebounded for perhaps his finest begin with the membership.
Despite giving up three runs in a first inning full of less-than-fortunate contact on largely well-executed pitches, Skubal did not waver in his fourth begin with the Dodgers. Even after two more tough-luck singles to start the second, he did not fret in the face of an early deficit.
Instead, in the sort of dominant flurry the group has been ready to see out of the reigning two-time Cy Young Award winner, Skubal rediscovered a “standard” that he said had been lacking in his first couple weeks since becoming a member of the group.
Los Angeles Dodgers beginning pitcher Tarik Skubal throws to the plate during the first inning of a baseball recreation against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday, August 22, 2026, in Los Angeles. (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
“I’m not going to be perfect out there, but yeah, I need to be more efficient,” Skubal said last week, after failing to pitch into the seventh inning in each of his first three appearances with the Dodgers. “That’s the standard that I hold myself to, is pitching deeper into ballgames. Giving our team a chance to win every time out.”
Right on cue, that’s what Skubal did in what turned into a seven-inning, three-run, 11-strikeout efficiency on Sunday –– lastly discovering a rhythm just when it appeared his recreation might go off the rails.
The left-hander stranded runners at second and third in the second inning by getting his first two strikeouts of the day, turning to his slider for each after struggling to get early whiff with his trademark changeup.
From there, the momentum saved constructing. He retired the aspect in order in both the third and fourth with a pair of Ks each. He labored around a two-out stroll in the fifth while dialing up a couple more punchouts. Then, he reached prime gear in the prime of the sixth, putting out the aspect in a breathtaking 14-pitch sequence that was punctuated by a 100 mph fastball –– his hardest pitch with the Dodgers, and second-hardest all season.
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Los Angeles Dodgers beginning pitcher Tarik Skubal throws to the plate during the second inning of a baseball recreation against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday, August 22, 2026, in Los Angeles. (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
The Dodgers’ offense, meanwhile, clawed its means back to give Skubal a lead.
In the fourth, Teoscar Hernández and newly recalled Alek Thomas (who was summoned from triple-A prgame to change the injured Andy Pages) strung collectively back-to-back RBI singles against Pirates Jared Jones.
Then, in the fifth, Kyle Tucker ended his historic home-field hitting drought, snapping a 26-at-bat hitless streak at Dodger Stadium (which dated back to Aug. 2) with a two-run single through a drawn-in infield (giving him his first RBIs at the venue since July 8).
Skubal made positive to lock down the 4-3 benefit, ending his 106-pitch outing with one more 1-2-3 inning in the seventh.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) pitches in the first inning at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, on Saturday, August 22, 2026. (This asset – including all textual content, audio and imagery – is offered by Imagn Images. Reuters Connec) IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Overall, he retired 18 of the remaining 19 batters he confronted, completed one strikeout away from his season-high of 12, and –– for the first time since his blockbuster arrival before the commerce deadline –– flashed the type of sustained dominance that has made him arguably the sport’s finest present pitcher.
All it took was overcoming his worst inning alongside the means.