LOS ANGELES — The Tarik Skubal experience as a member of the Dodgers has been quite the ride so far.
For one inning Saturday night at Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium, it looked like the latest chapter might be another example of a pitcher still searching for the version of himself the Dodgers believed they were acquiring.
Then Skubal reminded everyone exactly why they went and got him.
The Dodgers erased an early 3-0 deficit, Kyle Tucker ended an 0-for-26 drought at home with the biggest hit of the night, and the Dodgers held on for a 4-3 victory over the Pirates to win its fifth consecutive game.
But the story began with Skubal.
Tarik Skubal has now retired 15 of his last 16 batters! Skubal is now up to 11 strikeouts tonight 💪
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/bcYOc7YSiq
Four starts into his Dodgers tenure, the left-hander has not consistently looked like the dominant, efficient ace the Dodgers expected when it acquired him from Detroit. Saturday's first inning was perhaps the clearest example.
Fourteen pitches into the game, Skubal had already put the Dodgers in a three-run hole. Two singles were followed by a two-run triple from Oneil Cruz, and another run scored when the next batter grounded out to second.
Just like that, it was 3-0 Pirates before some fans had even settled into their seats.
What happened next was the part the Dodgers wanted to see.
Skubal settled down and, for long stretches, took complete control of the game. He retired 10 consecutive batters at one point and finished by retiring 18 of the final 19 hitters he faced.
Seven innings. Five hits. Three runs. One walk. Eleven strikeouts. 106 pitches.
It was, without question, his best start as a Dodger.
“You get punched in the mouth early. It’s important to see how you respond,” Skubal said.
That response said plenty.
Skubal's fastball continued to play as the game progressed, and he reached 100 mph while recording his 11th strikeout. His season high is 12, set July 24 against Kansas City while he was still with the Tigers.
Dave Roberts described Skubal as going into bully mode beginning in the third inning.
That is probably the most encouraging takeaway for the Dodgers.
The dominant stuff was there. So was the ability to absorb a bad inning without allowing it to become a bad night.
“I always think it's important for any pitcher to see how you respond to those moments, getting punched in the mouth and that's when I think the truth of who you really are kinda shows out,” Skubal said. “That's something I take a ton of pride in. If I give up runs early, I still feel like I could keep us in the game.”
He did exactly that.
And perhaps just as importantly, Skubal gave the Dodgers seven innings. That's a standard he has set for himself, regardless of how the game begins.
“The standard is to pitch deeper in the game, that's the whole point of being a starting pitcher,” Skubal said. “Controlling the game and saving the bullpen and giving your team a chance to win. That's the standard I hold myself to.”
By the time he walked off the mound in the seventh, the Dodgers had a 4-3 lead and their new ace had given them exactly what they needed.
The offense, meanwhile, took a little longer to wake up.
The Dodgers finally chipped away in the fourth.
Max Muncy opened the inning with a double, Tommy Edman walked, and Teoscar Hernández followed with an RBI single to left to make it 3-1.
Then came Alek Thomas.
Welcome to LA, Alek! pic.twitter.com/AjX4JjmPfP
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 23, 2026Called up after Andy Pages suffered a hand fracture, Thomas made his first start in center field and delivered an RBI single in his second at-bat, cutting Pittsburgh's lead to 3-2.
The comeback was beginning to take shape.
In the fifth, Mookie Betts was hit by a pitch to start the inning. Muncy followed with his second double of the night, putting two runners in scoring position and bringing Tucker to the plate.
This was the moment.
Tucker had been searching for a hit at Dodger Stadium for nearly three weeks. He entered the at-bat 0-for-26 at home, with his last hit in the ballpark coming on August 2.
Then he found the hole.
https://t.co/tj9IsGxRghpic.twitter.com/54hSr5p8Zr
— The Sporting Tribune (@SportingTrib) August 23, 2026Tucker slapped a two-run single past a drawn-in Pirates infield, bringing both Betts and Muncy home and giving the Dodgers their first lead of the night, 4-3.
For a player who had endured an unusually long stretch without a home hit, the moment felt bigger than a single.
The crowd knew it.
So did his teammates.
“You got to feel that as a player. It was great to see that,” Roberts said.
Tucker, naturally, tried to make it sound much simpler.
“The guys in front me did a good job in getting on base and putting some pressure on their pitching staff,” Tucker said. “Trying to put up good at-bats and keep moving down the line and continue to have opportunities throughout the game.”
That has essentially been Tucker's approach throughout the drought. Don't chase the number. Don't let one bad stretch become the entire at-bat.
“I haven’t had a hit in the last three home stands. I don’t keep up with stats like that,” Tucker said. “I just go out there and take the next at-bat and try to have a good quality at-bat whether it's working a long at-bat or drawing a walk, getting ahead and moving guys forward.”
Roberts offered the simplest version of it.
“He’s playing baseball, and that’s the ask. The results, we’ll bet on.”
Saturday, the result finally arrived.
And perhaps that's what made this Dodgers victory feel different from some of the others during this five-game winning streak. They didn't cruise. They didn't overwhelm Pittsburgh from the opening pitch.
They got punched in the mouth. Skubal responded. The offense fell behind. Tucker responded.
And when the Pirates had one final opportunity to extend the game, the Dodgers held the line.
That is the formula October teams are built on: absorb the bad, wait for the game to turn, and then make the biggest plays when the opportunities arrive.
Skubal provided the biggest pitching performance of his young Dodgers tenure. Tucker provided the biggest offensive swing of the night.
Now the Dodgers have a chance to finish the weekend with a sweep.
Blake Snell gets the ball Sunday afternoon, with the Dodgers riding a five-game winning streak and carrying the kind of momentum that can make even an ugly start to a game feel like nothing more than a temporary inconvenience.
For Skubal, Saturday was a reminder that dominance isn't always about how you begin.
Sometimes, it's about what you do after getting punched in the mouth.
And for Tucker, it was a reminder that eventually, the ball finds the grass.
The Dodgers just needed both things to happen on the same night.
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