Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts praised starting pitcher Tarik Skubal for dominating from the third inning onward following a rocky start, in comments made after a win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 22, 2026.
Roberts said Skubal struggled early but transformed after running into trouble in the second inning. "He sort of went into bully mode, you know, from that third inning on," Roberts said. He added that "from that point on, uh, it was a different pitcher." Roberts explained the shift came after Skubal moved away from his changeup, noting, "he just started pounding the zone with his fastball. Had the life, and then the slider off of that."
Roberts also offered a broader view on why the outing started slowly, explaining that the first inning is always the toughest for starting pitchers as they search for their feel on the mound. According to Roberts, Skubal completed seven innings, which helped reset the Dodgers bullpen, and his velocity reportedly reached 99-100 mph in the sixth inning at around 90 pitches. Roberts said he is still gathering information on Skubal's stamina and velocity trends as he maps out potential October starts, asking rhetorically, "how important is that? Especially as you're kind of mapping out like October starts for him."
Roberts also praised Kyle Tucker for coming through in a significant moment amid scrutiny over his recent performance, saying, "It was great. I was happy for him." He cited Tucker's hustle on a fielder's choice that extended an inning, along with a stolen base, as signs Tucker is playing the game the right way. Roberts noted that fan support at home matters to Tucker given his struggles there, saying it meant more for him to deliver in front of those fans, adding, "the fans, you know, every at bat, you know, cheering for him, and you got to feel that as a player."
Roberts also pointed to a defensive play from Max Muncy during the game, noting the backhand stop came late in the contest. Roberts described Tucker's hustle on the fielder's choice as a sign he is fully engaged in playing baseball, an example he returned to when discussing the win. As Roberts continues to track Skubal's workload and velocity data, that information will factor into how he plans potential postseason starts for him.