Tarik Skubal’s first outing in a Dodgers uniform came Tuesday night at Wrigley Field, and the debut ended with Los Angeles on the wrong side of a 5-1 loss to the Cubs.
The former Tigers ace, who won two Cy Young Awards, was dealt late Saturday night from Detroit to L.A. ahead of the trade deadline. In his first start for his new club, Skubal worked six innings and gave up two runs, including a third-inning homer by Danny Swanson.
He was sharp for most of the night, limiting Chicago to four hits and finishing with six strikeouts. Two of those hits came in his final inning. Skubal also walked two and exited with the Dodgers trailing 2-1.
Before Tuesday, Skubal had spent his entire major league career with Detroit. The Tigers drafted him in the ninth round in 2018 out of Seattle University, and now his move to Los Angeles is complete after years in the organization.
The deal that sent him west brought Detroit three prospects: Triple-A pitcher River Ryan, Double-A outfielder Zyhir Hope and High-A pitcher Brady Smith. Hope is regarded by some prospect rankers as a top-25 prospect in baseball.
Tigers president Scott Harris said Monday it’s been clear for a long time that Detroit wouldn’t be in any position to sign Skubal long-term.
Depending how the Dodgers set their rotation, Skubal could end up facing his former team at Comerica Park when the clubs meet Aug. 28-30.
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