Dodgers tap NLCS rotation order to replicate dominance over Brewers
When the Dodgers set their starting rotation for the National League Division Series, they did so with the NL Championship Series in mind.And now that they’ve reached the NLCS, after eliminating the Atlanta Braves in a four-game NLDS this past week, they have their pitching plans exactly where they want them.For a second straight series, Tarik Skubal will once again be the team’s Game 1 starter against the Brewers on Sunday, manager Dave Roberts announced during a Friday video conference with reporters, setting the reigning two-time Cy Young Award winner up to square off with this year’s presumptive Cy Young winner in Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski.After that, Yoshinobu Yamamoto will be bumped up for Game 2, representing a shift from the NLDS when Yamamoto didn’t start until Game 3.The Dodgers had pushed back Yamamoto’s start in the NLDS to keep him on his normal once-per-week pitching schedule, sliding Blake Snell in as their Game 2 starter instead.The move briefly seemed questionable, after Snell managed only 3 ⅔ innings in a five-walk, one-run start in the team’s Game 2 loss.However, Yamamoto calmed the waters by outdueling Chris Sale in Game 3, producing a seven-inning, one-run gem that lowered his career postseason ERA to 2.14 (second lowest in the last 100 years among pitchers with at least 10 playoff starts, behind only Madison Bumgarner).Now, just as the team envisioned, Yamamoto will be able to start twice in the NLCS — set to go on five days of rest for Monday’s Game 2, then on five days of rest again for a potential Game 6.Snell, meanwhile, seems likely to pitch in Game 3.Tyler Glasnow would be the logical Game 4 choice.
Skubal could go on four days of rest for Game 5.The Dodgers’ rotation figures to represent their biggest matchup advantage over the Brewers.In last year’s NLCS sweep, a quartet of Snell, Yamamoto, Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani combined to give up just two runs in 28 ⅔ innings while combining for 35 strikeouts against ...