LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers will hand the ball to left-hander Tarik Skubal for Game 1 of the National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday, followed by Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 2 on Monday, manager Dave Roberts announced Friday.
Roberts confirmed the rotation order during a video conference after Los Angeles eliminated the Atlanta Braves in four games during the division series. The opening two contests of the best-of-seven pennant race will be played at American Family Field in Milwaukee before shifting to Dodger Stadium.
Aligning the rotation for rest
Skubal, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, earned the victory in the series opener against Atlanta by yielding one run and two hits over six innings while striking out seven. SB Nation reported that Skubal holds a 1.97 ERA across seven career postseason starts, having worked at least six innings in every outing. On Sunday, he is slated to face Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski, the presumptive NL Cy Young Award winner, according to the New York Post.
Yamamoto moves into the Game 2 slot after pitching Game 3 against Atlanta, where he struck out 10 batters over seven innings of one-run ball. Starting Monday provides Yamamoto five days of rest, a schedule the Dodgers have preserved throughout his major league career. Roberts explained that the structure also leaves Yamamoto lined up to start a potential Game 6 on five days of rest.
“It’s more looking at how he’s gotten his rest this year, and what gives him the best chance to pitch potentially two games, Games 2 and 6,” Roberts said, as reported by SB Nation. “With the off days and the game schedule, that’s probably the best way to manage it.”
The Dodgers swept Milwaukee in last year’s NLCS, limiting the Brewers to two runs across four games behind a rotation that included Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani. With Ohtani hampered by injury, Los Angeles slotted the newly acquired Skubal into the group, according to the New York Post.
Decisions looming for Games 3 and 4
Roberts did not confirm the pitching order beyond the first two games, though Snell and Glasnow are slated to handle Games 3 and 4 when the series moves to Los Angeles on Wednesday and Thursday. Snell struggled during Game 2 against the Braves, walking five batters in 3 2/3 innings, while Glasnow helped finish the series in Game 4.
“I think we’ve got the best rotation top to bottom in baseball,” Roberts said, according to the New York Post. “And it’s nice to be able to reset the rotation and get these guys going.”
Roster evaluations and injury updates
Before Sunday’s first pitch, club officials must finalize their 26-man roster. Roberts told reporters the Dodgers are weighing whether to add an extra pitcher for the seven-game series, an adjustment that would require dropping a position player, the Associated Press reported.
The status of veteran utility player Miguel Rojas remains under evaluation after he departed Game 3 of the division series with lower back tightness. Rojas, 37, underwent imaging that revealed previous back wear and participated in batting practice and fielding drills at Dodger Stadium on Friday.
“Today was encouraging,” Roberts told the Associated Press. “We still have a flight to get on and see how he comes in tomorrow for the workout there, so there’s nothing definitive.”
Official rosters for both clubs must be submitted to Major League Baseball by Sunday morning ahead of Game 1.
