Tarik Skubal made his first appearance in the Los Angeles dugout Sunday, and it was a tough welcome for the Dodgers.
The Red Sox completed a 4-game sweep of the Dodgers behind an 8-4 win, capping a three-game sweep at home. The Red Sox have now won 23 of their last 26 games, improving to 60-51 on the season.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, saw their rotation take a hit. Emmet Sheehan was tagged for five earned runs in just 2 2/3 innings, including three solo home runs by Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, and Masataka Yoshida. Sheehan's ERA now stands at 5.29 for the season.
The sweep did little to hurt the Dodgers in the standings. They dropped to 69-43, a half game behind the Milwaukee Brewers for the best record in baseball. They hold a 10-game lead over the second-place Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL West.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts expressed his concerns about Sheehan's performance, saying, "When you're pitching in big league games you've got to get guys out. I don't know where we go from here."
Sheehan's time as a regular starter may be short, especially with a stacked rotation that now features a two-time Cy Young winner in Skubal at the top. Skubal will make his first start on Tuesday against the Chicago Cubs.
The Red Sox, on the other hand, are riding a hot streak. They've won 23 of their last 26 games and have turned a once-disastrous season into a comfortable position as the No. 2 team in the AL wild-card standings. They're now dreaming of a miracle rally from a 32-46 start that concludes with a rematch against the Dodgers in the World Series.
The Dodgers are basically playing the rest of the regular season for home-field advantage in a hypothetical NLCS against the Brewers. Skubal's arrival improves those chances, but it remains to be seen how it will impact the rotation.
The Red Sox will look to keep their winning streak going, while the Dodgers will try to regroup and figure out their next move. With the playoffs just around the corner, every game counts.
Source: Yahoo Sports