Tarik Skubal fans seven in return to Detroit

Skubal was excellent over the first three innings, but allowed a solo homer to Brice Turang that tied the game in the fourth, and a go-ahead single to Luis Lara in the fifth. The southpaw struck out seven in the contest against two walks, and allowed five hits. It was far from a poor effort from Skubal, but it’s fair to say we’ve seen the ace look better. It seems unlikely this will be the last time we see Skubal on the mound for Los Angeles, as he could be available for Game 4 or start Game 5 on regular rest.

That was the expectation all along, but it has now been confirmed. Right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start in Game 2 with Blake Snell expected to start in Game 3. Skubal delivered a dominant performance in his Dodgers’ postseason debut, striking out seven batters over six innings of one-run ball in a victory over the Braves in Game 1 of the NLDS.

Skubal offered a reminder of why he was the most coveted pitcher available at the trade deadline, delivering a dominant performance in his Los Angeles playoff debut. The 29-year-old impending free agent retired 15 consecutive batters following a leadoff single to Drake Baldwin, carrying a shutout into the sixth inning before Sean Murphy connected for a solo homer that represented the lone run against him. He threw 94 pitches (64 strikes) and allowed just four baserunners over six impressive frames. He figures to get the ball for a decisive Game 5 of the best-of-five series if it gets that far.

No surprises here, especially as the Braves have had more difficulty with left-handers this season. Skubal made 10 starts for the Dodgers following the mid-season trade from the Tigers, going 5-2 with a 2.61 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and a 70/13 K/BB ratio across 62 innings of work. He has been brilliant in his postseason career as well, posting a 2.04 ERA and 0.73 WHIP with a 56/6 K/BB ratio in just 39 2/3 frames.

Not only did Skubal blank the Giants and reach double-digit strikeouts, he needed just 75 pitches to do it. The final tune-up before the playoff push couldn’t have gone much better, as he allowed just three hits — all singles — and didn’t issue a walk. Skubal will likely start Game 2 of the NLDS, but that’s more compliment to Yoshinobu Yamamoto than insult to him.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed that Skubal will start Friday’s series opener against the Giants. The 29-year-old fantasy ace draws an extremely favorable matchup against a borderline Triple-A lineup for his final regular-season outing. He’ll presumably get the ball after Yoshinobu Yamamoto for Los Angeles’ second playoff contest.

It’s an extremely favorable spot for fantasy purposes as the Giants are basically rolling out a glorified Triple-A lineup at this point of the season. Skubal has been away from the Dodgers on bereavement leave for the last few days. He’ll make his final regular-season start later this week.

He’ll be away from the team for a few days but isn’t expected to miss a start. Emmet Sheehan was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City in a corresponding move on Sunday to add a fresh arm capable of working multiple innings to the Dodgers’ bullpen.

Skubal gave up eight hits, walked two and struck out three against a pretty awful lineup, but he got the dub anyway. It’s his first time allowing more than three runs in nine starts for the Dodgers. He’ll face the Giants again on Friday or Saturday.

Skubal gave up only three singles and walked one in his first scoreless start for the Dodgers. He’s 3-1 with a 2.08 ERA and a 45/7 K/BB in 39 innings over his last six starts. He’ll face the Giants next time out.