{
  "id": 528563,
  "title": "Tarik Skubal struggles early in home debut vs. Royals amid Dodgers' losing skid",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/11/tarik-skubal-struggles-early-in-home-debut-vs-royals-amid-dodgers",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-11T03:45:08.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/breaking-news/article/tarik-skubal-struggles-early-in-home-debut-vs-royals-amid-dodgers-losing-skid-034508406.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Tarik Skubal made his home debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night at Dodger Stadium. The start didn't go as planned for Skubal. He allowed four hits and three earned runs over five innings and 95 pitches, striking out six. The Kansas City Royals made a quick impact, scoring early. Just four pitches into the game, Royals star Jac Caglianone hit a single, leading to a run later in the inning. Caglianone then added to the Royals' lead with a two-run homer in the third. Skubal managed to get through the fourth inning clean, but then walked two batters. The Dodgers managed to pull two back off an RBI double from Shohei Ohtani and an RBI single from Freddie Freeman after the third. In the fifth inning, Skubal walked Nick Loftin and then Bobby Witt Jr., allowing the Royals to take the lead. Skubal's debut ended with him being replaced by Alex Vesia to start the sixth inning. Skubal's home debut ended with the Royals scoring two more runs. The Dodgers have been struggling recently, losing eight of their last nine games and entering Monday's game with a 70-48 record, still leading the NL West.",
  "summary": "The Royals built up a three-run lead off of Tarik Skubal early on Monday night in Los Angeles.",
  "key_points": [
    "Tarik Skubal made home debut with Dodgers, allowed 4 hits and 3 earned runs in 5 innings",
    "Royals scored early with single by Jac Caglianone and two-run homer in 3rd inning",
    "Dodgers lost 8 of last 9 games, record 70-48, leading NL West"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The Dodgers' recent struggles, marked by eight losses in nine games, intensified with Tarik Skubal's uneven home debut, which hindered their chances against the Kansas City Royals.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Dodgers Secure Series Opener Against Royals on Skubal's Home Debut",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/11/dodgers-secure-series-opener-against-royals-on-skubals-home-debut",
        "published": "2026-08-11T05:02:14.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}