The Los Angeles Dodgers suffered a 5-1 defeat to the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night, August 5th, 2026, at Wrigley Field in Chicago, extending their losing streak to five games. This loss dropped the Dodgers to a 3-7 record in their last 10 games.

Tarik Skubal, the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner recently acquired from the Detroit Tigers, made his Dodgers debut as the starting pitcher. Despite his solid performance, Chicago's Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner powered the Cubs to victory.

The Dodgers' offense struggled throughout the game, managing only a home run by Kyle Tucker. Key moments included Skubal striking out Pete Crow-Armstrong to start the sixth inning but then walking Seiya Suzuki. Alex Bregman hit a ball to right field that Kyle Tucker failed to catch, allowing Suzuki to advance. Although the Dodgers got Suzuki out at home on a Michael Busch grounder, Nico Hoerner's swinging bunt brought in Bregman, contributing to the Cubs' decisive lead.

The Dodgers' recent acquisition of Skubal came amid injuries to key pitchers Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell, and Tyler Glasnow, as well as inconsistent performances from other starters. The move sparked significant criticism from fans online, with some announcing they were quitting the sport or calling for drastic changes to the season and player-owner agreements.

Skubal's debut, while individually solid, was not enough to halt the Dodgers' losing streak or improve their recent poor form.

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