Tarik Skubal earned his first win as a Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher on August 22, 2026, allowing three runs in the first inning before settling in to pitch through seven innings.
Speaking with reporters after the outing, Skubal said, "It feels good obviously to get the first one out of the way." He noted that his execution improved as the outing continued, stating "Execution got a little bit better as the game went on." Skubal added that his previous start against Milwaukee was another example of that kind of execution, recalling that "Against Milwaukee, they just took a lot of quality pitches."
Asked about bouncing back from the early runs, Skubal explained that a pitcher's response in that moment says something about who they are, saying "That's when I think the true who you really are, you know, kind of shows out." He also mentioned a conversation with pitching coach Mark about approach, saying he discussed shifting his mindset early in games: "Instead of trying to command the ball early, maybe just go out there and compete with what I got." Skubal noted he was over 50% on first-pitch strikes across his last five starts and said he threw his second-fastest pitch of the season in the sixth inning of the outing.
Skubal also pointed to his ability to hold velocity deep into starts, noting, "I feel like I've always been able to sustain velocity, you know, from pitch one to pitch however many I'm allowed to go." He acknowledged that building relationships and understanding necessary adjustments with new teammates matters for the group's goals, describing it as "developing those relationships and understanding what adjustments need to be made."
Skubal expressed enthusiasm about the rotation taking shape, praising Blake's pitching by calling him "nasty" and "one of the game's best lefties for sure," and pointing to Yoshinobu Yamamoto's preparation, saying "Yoshi's process is nuts, too." He mentioned that Yamamoto threw under 107 pitches in his most recent start. Skubal also expressed excitement for the return of Tyler Glasnow, who threw a live session, though Skubal said he had not yet spoken with him about how it went. He also shared a lighter detail about the clubhouse, noting that Miguel Ross created a walk-up and strikeout song tradition for the team that includes a pregame dance ritual for starting pitchers, saying Ross "kind of orchestrates a dance thing before the guys go."
With Glasnow's live session completed and his return expected soon, Skubal said he plans to keep applying the approach of competing with his stuff early in games rather than overemphasizing command, a shift he said he discussed directly with pitching coach Mark.