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CHICAGO\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Southpaw Tarik Skubal\u2019s experience pitching in the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field came with a hostile reception. Cubs fans booed him as he approached the bullpen gate in right field to warm up before the game. They jeered even louder and longer as he took the mound in the bottom of the first inning.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s what came with the \u201cLos Angeles\u201d scrawled across the chest of his new blue jersey. Over the weekend he\u2019d gone from the top trade candidate in baseball, to a symbol of the Dodgers\u2019 evil reign.<\/p>\n
A sports betting site even seized on the moment and paid for an airplane to fly a \u201cTHE DODGERS RUINED BASEBALL\u201d banner over Wrigley Field a few hours before the game Tuesday \u2014 although it was upside down.<\/p>\n
As the boos quieted, he authored a quality start in his Dodgers debut. But that wasn\u2019t enough to serve as the team\u2019s new stopper, as the Dodgers\u2019 offense fell flat. They stumbled to a 5-1 loss and extended their skid to a season-high five games and ensured a second straight series loss.<\/p>\n
Tarik Skubal says he doesn\u2019t believe the Dodgers are ruining baseball, pointing to several reasons why the Dodgers have developed into an MLB powerhouse.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s certainly no panic,\u201d manager Dave Roberts said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been through a lot of these things, this core group of guys. I think that you just got to kind of reset, flush it, find a way to win a game, and not let it just compound. But it never feels good to lose.\u201d<\/p>\n
The first pitch Skubal threw as a Dodger, en route to holding the Cubs to two runs and four hits in six innings, was a sinker that zipped through the top of the strike zone at 96.3 mph, according to Statcast, to get ahead in the count against Cubs MVP candidate Pete Crow-Armstrong.<\/p>\n
For the next four pitches, he alternated between his four-seam fastball and off-speed pitches \u2014 first his changeup and then curveball. And to finish off the at-bat, he located a sinker at the bottom of the zone for a called strike three.<\/p>\n
It was a strong first impression, and his first strikeout of six.<\/p>\n
\u201cGoing to bed last night, excited,\u201d Skubal said. \u201cIt felt like my major-league debut, kind of same type of vibe in terms of the nerves running through. But I think that\u2019s all good stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n
Skubal retired the first six batters he faced, with the help of a sliding catch by center fielder Andy Pages and a diving grab by right fielder Kyle Tucker.<\/p>\n
To end the second inning, Skubal got new Cub Tyrone Taylor to chase a changeup just outside. Skubal skipped backward off the mound and buried his fist in the pocket of his glove in celebration.<\/p>\n
The next inning, Skubal wavered ever so slightly. He gave up a first-pitch solo home run to Dansby Swanson.<\/p>\n