Coverage spread: 2 sources — 2 right
Lean ratings via AllSides / Media Bias-Fact-Check. How this works.
Where they agree
- Both outlets confirm the Dodgers were swept by the Cubs in Chicago, extending their losing streak to six games.
- Both note the sweep came immediately after the Dodgers traded for Tarik Skubal.
- Both cite the same final score of the series-clinching game, 7-6, and identify Pete Crow-Armstrong’s big performance as the deciding factor.
- Both mention Eric Lauer as the Dodgers pitcher who allowed Crow-Armstrong’s first home run.
Where they differ
- Fox News frames the story as a rebuke of the ‘Dodgers are ruining baseball’ narrative following the Skubal trade, including the earlier Red Sox sweep and rotation injuries (Snell, Glasnow, Sheehan).
- The New York Post focuses almost entirely on Pete Crow-Armstrong’s individual milestone and season stats, giving little attention to the Dodgers’ broader struggles or the Skubal trade.
- Fox News emphasizes the fan and commentator backlash to the Dodgers’ spending power; the Post instead highlights the Cubs’ turnaround from a 34-34 start to a wild-card position.
- Only Fox News details Skubal’s Dodgers debut performance (6 innings, 2 runs, 6 strikeouts) and the earlier Boston sweep; the Post omits the Red Sox series entirely.
The Los Angeles Dodgers were swept in a three-game series by the Chicago Cubs this week, extending their losing streak to six games just days after acquiring reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal in a high-profile trade deadline deal. The skid, which began with a sweep by the Boston Red Sox and continued in Chicago, culminated in a 7-6 Cubs win on Wednesday in which center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong hit two homers and drove in four runs.
What led up to the losing streak?
The Dodgers entered the trade deadline stretch banged up in their rotation. Blake Snell had thrown just three innings all season after only 61 in 2025, and Tyler Glasnow was out with a back injury after managing just 39.2 innings. Emmett Sheehan, coming off a strong 2025, had recently struggled, forcing the team to lean on journeyman Eric Lauer. To address the shortfall, LA traded prospects Zyhir Hope, River Ryan and Brady Smith to the Detroit Tigers for Skubal, the defending AL Cy Young winner.
What happened once the losing streak started?
Before the Skubal trade even had time to pay off, the Dodgers lost three straight to the Red Sox at Dodger Stadium: 9-4, 3-2, and 8-4, the last game marred by four home runs allowed. They then flew to Chicago and dropped the opener 10-5 after starter Justin Wrobleski gave up four homers despite an early 3-0 lead. Skubal made his Dodgers debut in the second game, throwing six innings with six strikeouts and allowing two runs, but the offense mustered just a Kyle Tucker solo homer in a 5-1 loss. The sweep was completed Wednesday when the Cubs won 7-6, with Crow-Armstrong going 3-for-5 with two home runs — one off Lauer to tie the game in the first inning — and four RBIs, becoming the first Cubs player to post consecutive 25-homer, 25-steal seasons.
Who is Pete Crow-Armstrong and why does his performance matter?
Crow-Armstrong, 24, was originally acquired by the Cubs from the Mets in the 2021 trade that sent Javier Baez to New York for half a season of his services. He’s now hitting .288 with 26 home runs, 69 RBIs, 28 stolen bases and 60 walks this season, and has dramatically improved against left-handed pitching — his OPS against lefties jumped from .594 in 2025 to .937 this year. Last season he helped the Cubs reach the playoffs for the first time since 2020. His emergence has coincided with a Cubs turnaround: the team was 34-34 earlier in the season and is now 66-49, holding the first NL wild-card spot and sitting five games behind Milwaukee in the NL Central.
How does this fit into the bigger Dodgers story?
The Skubal trade had already stirred heavy reaction across baseball, with critics arguing the Dodgers’ payroll and depth were making the sport uncompetitive and effectively deciding the World Series before it started. The six-game losing streak and back-to-back series sweeps — first to Boston, then to Chicago — undercut that narrative in the short term, showing that adding a top-tier pitcher didn’t immediately translate into wins.
Where do the two accounts differ?
The two outlets covering this story focus on different parts of the same week. Fox News frames the story around the Dodgers’ collapse and the backlash to the Skubal trade, treating the losing streak as a rebuttal to fans and commentators who called the team unbeatable. The New York Post’s account centers on Chicago’s side of the story, spotlighting Crow-Armstrong’s historic, franchise-record performance and the Cubs’ broader turnaround, with the Dodgers’ struggles serving mainly as context for the final box score.
Sources
Featured photo: Arturo Pardavila III from Hoboken, NJ, USA via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)