What happened: Tarik Skubal has made three starts for the Dodgers, each following a similar shape: he works deep into counts and struggles to put hitters away, but keeps the damage limited. His latest outing went six innings and allowed two runs. Across the three starts he has thrown 17 innings, allowed 15 hits and seven runs (six earned), with 19 strikeouts and six walks.

Why it matters: Los Angeles acquired Skubal at the deadline as the same trade that brought him to Dodger blue, and the club is counting on him as a front-line arm for the stretch run. The high pitch counts are a swing factor worth tracking as the Dodgers manage his workload into September.

What to watch: Watch his next turn through the rotation for whether the pitch-count trend and walk rate hold or improve.