Tarik Skubal Fans 11 as Dodgers Defeat Pirates 4 to 3

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal struck out 11 batters over seven innings on Saturday night, overcoming an early three-run deficit to secure a 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates at Dodger Stadium.

Skubal surrendered three runs on three consecutive hits in the first inning, including a two-run triple by Pittsburgh center fielder Oneil Cruz. The left-hander then recovered to retire 20 of his final 23 batters, allowing just two hits over his final six innings of work to earn his first victory since joining Los Angeles in a trade deadline deal from the Detroit Tigers.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts commended his starting pitcher's endurance and performance following the game.

"That's the guy that we needed. Completing seven innings, reset the bullpen, great outing," said Dave Roberts, manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. "He's very physical, and you can see that when he needs to reach back for more, it's in there."

The victory extended the Dodgers' winning streak to five games, improving their season record to 79-51. After trailing 3-0 early, Los Angeles scored two runs in the fourth inning on RBI singles from Teoscar Hernández and Alek Thomas. Kyle Tucker then delivered a go-ahead, two-run single in the fifth inning off reliever Yohan Ramírez to provide the deciding margin.

Skubal acknowledged his slow start while expressing confidence in his overall pitch execution.

"I'm not gonna be perfect out there, but I definitely need to be better in the first inning," said Tarik Skubal, starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers. "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."

The left-hander threw 106 pitches, generating 23 whiffs and reaching speeds up to 100 mph in the seventh inning to complete his outing before the bullpen pitched two scoreless innings.

"I feel like I've always been able to sustain velocity, from pitch one to pitch however many I'm allowed to go," said Skubal. "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 also noted the quality of pitching talent across the roster.

"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," said Skubal. "When we're doing that, we're the best team in the league."

He elaborated further on the team's internal standard.

"It feels good, obviously, to get the first one out of the way," said Skubal. "I didn't do a good job early in the game, but the boys picked me up and were able to keep us in a game. The offense got going, and that's all we needed to get a win today."

He reinforced his optimistic outlook for the roster moving forward.

"I'm excited," said Skubal. "You got a ton of really good arms here and a ton of talent. It's just about us going out there and playing baseball and executing. And when we're doing that, we're the best team in the league."

For Pittsburgh, starter Jared Jones issued five walks while allowing two runs over four innings, dropping the Pirates to 63-68 on the season.

Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds reflected on the team's inability to maintain early momentum against the two-time Cy Young Award winner.

"He's not a two-time Cy Young winner on accident," said Bryan Reynolds, outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates. "We did good damage. Scoring three runs off a guy like that is pretty good. Obviously, we would have liked to have scored more after putting up three in the first, but we didn't."

Reynolds added that the team could not capitalize after the early output.

"We started off well," said Reynolds. "If we could have pushed a couple more across, it would've been great. But we didn't."

He noted that Skubal did not alter his fundamental strategy as the game progressed.

"He was making pitches," said Reynolds. "I don't think he necessarily changed anything. He just was executing well."

Reynolds emphasized the necessity of putting together wins over the remainder of the season.

"We're still grinding. We're still doing our things," said Reynolds. "Obviously, it'd be nice to win some games. But these games are just as important as the first week was, win-loss-wise. … Just gotta have some balls bounce right, get some hits, timely hits, and start rolling."

Pirates manager Don Kelly pointed out that his lineup failed to adjust after Skubal gained control of the strike zone.

"He adjusted, and we did not do a good job of adjusting back," said Don Kelly, manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Kelly detailed how Skubal established high fastballs to set up off-speed pitches.

"He got on a roll, kept us off-balance," said Kelly. "Looked like the fastball up had life. He throws a ton of strikes."

Kelly stressed that missed opportunities proved decisive in the outcome.

"When we have the opportunity to score, we have to push runs across," said Kelly. "Did we play perfect today? No, we didn’t.

I think we played pretty good baseball. We need to throw more strikes and find a way to score runs. When we get those opportunities, especially against a team like the Dodgers, we have to capitalize on them."

He reiterated the need for efficiency from his pitching staff moving forward.

"It’s something we continue to talk about," said Kelly. "We have to be in the zone and throw more strikes, get ahead. I think that’s something we saw Skubal did.

He was really efficient to get through seven innings at 106 pitches. We have to dominate the strike zone. Free passes, especially against a team like the Dodgers, is gonna kill you."

Jones explained that self-inflicted mistakes contributed to his short outing.

"I think I beat myself," said Jared Jones, starting pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates. "I felt like when I was in the zone, I had full control of the game. Had a lot of free passes and really just beat myself."

Jones acknowledged pitching through a thumb blister from the second inning onward.

"Kind of a crappy excuse," said Jones. "... It kinda got worse and worse over the course of the game, but you have to get over that stuff and get the ball in the zone."

Dodgers outfielder Kyle Tucker discussed his approach after breaking an 0-for-26 hitless streak at home with the game-winning single.

"I don’t, like, keep up with the stats like that," said Kyle Tucker, outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers. "I’m just trying to go up there ... try and have a quality at-bat, whether it’s working a long at-bat or drawing a walk, getting ahead or moving guys over."

Rookie outfielder Alek Thomas reflected on making his debut appearance for the Dodgers after being called up from Triple-A.

"It’s been a little while," said Alek Thomas, outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers. "So, I’m super glad to be back, and happy to help the team in any way, shape or form."

Thomas added a humorous note about his previous experiences playing at Dodger Stadium as a visitor.

"It’s funny, because they always hated me whenever I came out there in center field," said Thomas. "I was, like, ‘Come on, guys, I’m Mexican too. You don’t have to yell at me; like, we’re on the same side here.’ But, obviously ... it doesn’t matter where you’re from. ‘If you’re not a Dodgers guy, you’re not my guy.’"

The three-game series concludes Sunday at Dodger Stadium, with right-hander Lake Bachar scheduled to start for Pittsburgh against Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell.