Noah Cameron and Tarik Skubal are trending in opposite directions right now. Cameron is riding the best start of his season — 8 innings, 1 earned run, 9 strikeouts against Minnesota last time out — while Skubal, the Dodgers' big trade deadline pickup, took the loss in his Dodgers debut despite 6 solid innings against the Cubs. First pitch is 7:10 PM PT at Dodger Stadium, and both guys need this one to feel like a turning point.
Noah Cameron
(8-8)·4.02 ERA
Aug 5 vs Twins
W
8.0IP
1ER
9K
1BB
106P
08/10 Lineup
Tarik Skubal
(8-7)·2.91 ERA
Aug 4 @ Cubs
L
6.0IP
2ER
6K
2BB
85P
08/10 Lineup
Reinforcements are coming for LA, just not tonight — Blake Snell is reportedly set to return from the injured list Tuesday, which would ease a rotation that's been running thin. That doesn't fix the bullpen problem in front of Skubal right now: Will Klein got rocked before landing on the IL, and the relief corps is dealing with more names out than in. Kansas City's pen has its own issues with Nick Mears and Carlos Estevez both on extended absences, but Alex Lange has quietly locked down the ninth when the Royals have needed him.
None of that has stopped the market from treating this like a mismatch, with LA still the heavy favorite to get right on both ends tonight. The Royals need a lot to go right against Skubal's stuff just to keep it competitive.
Bobby Witt Jr. is the reason to actually watch Kansas City's offense. He returned from back tightness and immediately delivered a 2-run double in an 8-2 win over the Twins, and he's the one player capable of making Skubal's night miserable by himself. The rest of the lineup is short-handed — Vinnie Pasquantino and Maikel Garcia are both still out — which puts even more on Witt's bat.
Dodger Stadium under the lights in August is still Dodger Stadium — Ohtani, Betts and Freeman aren't walking into a must-win. But there's a real staring-at-the-standings mood in that clubhouse right now, 1-4 in the last 5 and losers of their last game. Kansas City's playing out the string at 49-70, and nobody outside Missouri thinks tonight changes that math.
Royals 5, Dodgers 6: Final Score & Odds Recap — Bobby Witt Jr. and a Reeling Royals Try to Spoil Skubal's Party
