The Los Angeles Dodgers lost to the Chicago Cubs, 5-1, on Tuesday evening and fell to 69-55 on the year in their fifth straight loss. Reigning back-to-back Cy Young award winner Tarik Skubal made his Dodgers debut and struck out six across six innings of work. Alex Vesia allowed two earned runs and recorded as many outs while Evan Phillips finished out the seventh inning. Edwin Díaz allowed a home run in the eighth and only recorded two outs, leaving Jack Dreyer to finish things out.Offensively — and there isn't much to report — former Cub Kyle Tucker launched a solo home run in the top of the second inning. Ahead of the eventual defeat, the Dodgers cut ties with a veteran catcher to make way for a pair of catchers added at the trade deadline. The backstops in question — Ben Rortvedt and Hunter Feduccia — were both in a Dodgers uniform last season (with Feduccia being included in a deal to land Rortvedt at last year's deadline), but now join forces at a time when catching depth in LA has never been worse. The reason that catching depth has never been more shallow is not only the recent injured list addition of Dalton Rushing, but All-Star Will Smith having been out since early June. There is finally a return timeline for Smith, according to manager Dave Roberts, but not as concrete as fans may like. “This is something that’s uncharted territory, for him certainly. We’re sort of back at square one. I just don’t know how long that ramp up will take," Roberts said.Finally, ahead of his Dodgers debut on Tuesday, Skubal sent a message to the fanbase of the defending champions via his Instagram account. "LA, Excited to be here! Look forward to competing with my teammates and giving the city everything I’ve got," Skubal wrote. "See y’all soon!Here’s all the latest Dodgers news and stories (click the headline for the full article): Dodgers Cut Ties With Catcher, Officially Activate Ben Rortvedt and Hunter Feduccia Dodgers Finally Announce Return Timeline for Will Smith, Who's 'Back at Square One' Tarik Skubal Sends Message to Dodgers Fans Ahead of Debut Rival Executive Has Lame Reaction to Dodgers' Tarik Skubal Trade Dodgers' Tyler Glasnow Takes First Big Step Toward Return, Timeline Becoming Clearer Dodgers Lineup vs Cubs: Tarik Skubal and Ben Rortvedt StartingDodgers Tweets of the DayThe Dodgers have officially activated catchers Ben Rortvedt and Hunter Feduccia🚨🚨🚨🚨Read the full roster move and the Dodgers' catching plans moving forward without Dalton Rushing and Will Smith below⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/FQl8J2F8dT— Dodgers On SI (@DodgersOnSI) August 4, 2026Tarik starts his Dodger debut with a strikeout! pic.twitter.com/78RJGh1j6k— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 5, 2026Tarik Skubal, Wicked 90mph Changeup. 🤢 pic.twitter.com/lTh5kuwGcG— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 5, 2026Tarik is ready for his Dodger debut. pic.twitter.com/oYd6iG5JNv— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 4, 2026— Punchoutpitch (@Punchoutpitch) August 4, 2026Whole squad pitched today in the Dodgers org 😭 pic.twitter.com/UdAXUoZIH9— Nate (@dodgernate) August 5, 2026#Dodgers Tyle Glasnow is through two innings. 90% first pitch strike / 16 P / 12 S / 2 IP / 1 H / 0 ER / 0 BB / 1 K pic.twitter.com/l9L5lhMTjN— Dodgers_After_Duty (@msalas24) August 4, 2026The Dodgers FINALLY have a return timeline set for All-Star catcher Will Smith, who's "back at square one"👀👀With Dalton Rushing now out, the Dodgers need Smith back more than ever...⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/nGKVtBD8PN— Dodgers On SI (@DodgersOnSI) August 4, 2026Shohei Ohtani met and signed a ball for 100-year-old Momoyo Kelly, a Japanese woman who survived the bombing of Nagasaki 🥹pic.twitter.com/BAZ0S77R77— Baseball’s Greatest Moments (@BBGreatMoments) August 4, 2026When Kyle's back in Chicago, he feels it. pic.twitter.com/Wl7K5F30AQ— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 5, 2026"It's not about him. He didn't do anything wrong. It's not about the Dodgers." @stephenasmith gives his input on Tarik Skubal's statement 👀 pic.twitter.com/0HKvKokzq3— First Take (@FirstTake) August 4, 2026— SleeperDodgers (@SleeperDodgers) August 4, 2026Already four RBI in two innings for Ryan Ward🔥 pic.twitter.com/vLhUpuNyHz— Oklahoma City Comets (@OKC_comets) August 5, 2026YEONJUN will be in the building on 8/13 to celebrate Korean Heritage Night with a pregame performance and first pitch! Get your tickets now at https://t.co/1EHTdGnnOQ. pic.twitter.com/JTYkrBg3EC— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 4, 2026Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on X/Twitter and Facebook for the latest news.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow