The Los Angeles Dodgers are just one day away from opening their 2024 postseason run with a matchup against the San Diego Padres in the National League Division Series, and they’ve already made a major change to their plans.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and general manager Brandon Gomes previously announced Jack Flaherty would start Game 1 of the NLDS while Yoshinobu Yamamoto would go on Sunday. However, that changed with Dodgers president of baseball operations announcing on Thursday the two starters are switching places in the rotation order.
Friedman explained the decision between who would get the ball for Game 1 between the two starters was close to begin with. They ultimately decided to make the switch focused on a potential Game 5 to give them more ways to manage their staff.
“It’s more of it just creates options,” Friedman said. “Because we can get into if there is a Game 5, depending on the usage of our ‘pen, we can have those guys take down the game. We could have one of them with our ‘pen.
“It creates flexibility for things we can’t possibly know right now, which is how was our pitching used in Games 1 through 4? And just having as many options as we can.”
Yamamoto has not pitched on regular rest this season, or at all in his career, while Flaherty took the ball every fifth day for the Detroit Tigers before being traded to the Dodgers.
With a potential Game 5 on Oct. 11, that places it six days after Yamamoto starts the NLDS opener and five days after Flaherty pitches Game 2. That would mean Yamamoto could be available with an extra day of rest while Flaherty would be on regular rest.
The Dodgers have also previously said they are sticking to their plan of keeping Yamamoto on extra rest throughout the postseason. Whether they commit to that remains to be seen, but Friedman said this decision puts them in a position to do that, at least through the NLDS.
“We don’t know,” Friedman began. “We’re taking it one game at a time. Not sure. But this sets up for that.”
One other potential factor that could have played into it was the Padres facing Flaherty more recently than Yamamoto, and being more familiar with the veteran right-hander. However, Friedman declined that has a reason for the change.
Friedman also said that both pitchers were open to the change and understanding of the decision when they “walked through the logic” of it.
“He was great,” Friedman said of Yamamoto. “He was like, ‘I was going to throw a ‘pen today or tomorrow, so I’ll do it today. I’m great. I’m ready for whatever you got.’ He was excited.”
Dodgers trust Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Yamamoto has plenty of big game experience pitching in the World Baseball Classic and Nippon Professional Baseabll, but he has yet to start a postseason game. The Dodgers remain confident in him and look back at his start against the New York Yankees as a reason for optimism.
“To go into a hostile environment like that and see him elevate his game, talked about it at the time, that’s not an easy thing to do,” Friedman noted.
“Especially first time. He has experience pitching in a lot of big games, and one thing we feel really confident about is the moment is not going to affect him. He’s going to take it in, feed on that adrenaline and do what he does.”
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