The Dodgers’ skid kept rolling Monday night at Wrigley Field, where a 10-5 loss to the Cubs pushed their losing streak to four games. Los Angeles came in after being swept by the Boston Red Sox on Sunday at Dodger Stadium, a series that marked just their second sweep of the season.
Before first pitch, the Dodgers shuffled the roster again in the wake of a busy trade deadline. Dalton Rushing went on the injured list, Emmet Sheehan was optioned, Wyatt Mills was designated for assignment, and Tarik Skubal was added to the active roster.
Chuckie Robinson and Jonathan Hernández were also called up. The Dodgers now turn to Tuesday, when Skubal is set to make his team debut.
The early minutes actually belonged to Los Angeles. The Dodgers opened the game with two singles and then Tommy Edman launched a home run, giving them a 3-0 lead just five pitches into the night. But that burst didn’t last.
Justin Wrobleski had a rough one from there, and then some. Trying to rebound from his poor start against the Seattle Mariners on July 28, he instead had an even tougher outing against Chicago.
Wrobleski gave up seven runs on seven hits in 4.1 innings, striking out four and walking three. It was his second straight start in which he allowed four home runs, and he has now yielded eight homers over his last 10.1 innings.
The Cubs started hammering away right away. Wrobleski served up a two-run homer on just the third batter of the game, trimming the Dodgers’ lead to 3-2.
In the second inning, another two-run shot flipped the game and put Chicago ahead 4-3. A third two-run homer followed in the third, stretching the Cubs’ advantage to 6-3.
He then allowed a solo homer in the fifth to make it 7-4, and that ended his night.
Edgardo Henriquez came in and finished that inning, but the trouble kept coming. Henriquez walked three straight batters to load the bases, Tanner Scott entered, and three more runs crossed. All three were charged to Henriquez.
Offensively, the Dodgers went quiet after that early jolt. They didn’t score again until the fourth inning, when Kyle Tucker walked, Teoscar Hernández singled, and Eliezer Alfonzo added another single to keep Los Angeles within two.
In the sixth, Hernández delivered again, crushing a home run out of Dodger Stadium while the Dodgers were trailing 7-4. But even that came with a cost, because Tucker was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double. It was one of two baserunning outs for the Dodgers, with Shohei Ohtani also being picked off earlier in the game.
In Other News...
Dodgers Just Made A Deadline Pitching Bet Fans Will Debate
The Dodgers added another layer to their deadline-day pitching shuffle by dealing minor league right-hander Carlos Duran to the Royals in exchange for Kris Bubic, a move that fits the clubs long-running habit of betting on arms it believes it can maximize. Bubic has been working back from shoulder trouble and has spent time on rehab assignments, so the trade is as much about Los Angeles taking a longer view as it is about filling an immediate need.
For a team that keeps turning over the bottom of its roster in search of usable depth, this is the kind of transaction that can look smart in October or get picked apart before then. The Dodgers also stayed active elsewhere, reuniting with Ben Rortvedt in a separate deal involving Chayce McDermott, which only adds to the sense that the front office was balancing present-day coverage with a few bigger-picture bets. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Prospect Just Changed The Organizations Pitching Depth Picture
The Dodgers spent Monday reshaping the edges of their pitching depth, and one of the more notable developments came from a name that has not been in the spotlight for long. Hyun-Seok Jang, making his High-A debut, turned in a dominant first impression that earned him Midwest League pitcher of the week honors and gave the organization another reminder of how quickly a young arm can force its way into the conversation.
It arrived in a week when the club was already busy with roster churn and deadline-related moves, including trades involving Chayce McDermott and Carlos Durn, plus the additions of Hunter Feduccia and Jacob Kmatz. Chuckie Robinson and Jonathan Hernndez were also called up from Oklahoma City, while Emmet Sheehan was optioned to Triple-A, leaving the Dodgers with a fresh look in the upper minors and a few more questions about how that depth will line up in the days ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Fans Will Have Strong Feelings About This Dodgers Deadline Deal
The Dodgers added some much-needed catching help at the deadline, landing Hunter Feduccia and right-hander Jacob Kmatz from Tampa Bay as they try to steady a position group hit by injuries to Will Smith and Dalton Rushing. Feduccia is a familiar name in the organization, having once been drafted by Los Angeles before spending time with the Rays, and the move gives the club a quick layer of depth behind the plate at a moment when it was needed most.
Jacob Kmatz arrives as part of the same package, giving the Dodgers another arm to evaluate while they manage the fallout of their catching situation. Tampa Bay, meanwhile, gets outfielder Jack Suwinski and international bonus pool money in return, a return that reflects the kind of deadline calculus that often comes with a deal involving both major league need and long-term roster planning. [Read more 🡒]