Starting pitching has carried the Los Angeles Dodgers in the postseason thus far and their rotation is going to have an opportunity to continue doing so against the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series.
After managing to line up their starting pitchers for a Wild Card Series matchup against the Cincinnati Reds, off days in the NL Division Series afforded the Dodgers a similar luxury. Tyler Glasnow pitched out of the bullpen in Game 1 and still made a start five days later to help the Dodgers close out the Philadelphia Phillies.
That was largely made possible due to a rare off day between Games 1 and 2. The NLCS schedule for the Dodgers and Brewers only has breaks built in for the traditional travel days after Game 2 and a potential Game 5.
And while the Dodgers’ playoff roster is expected to change — with at least one pitcher added onto it — they won’t expand the rotation to include a fifth starter.
“I think the four starters, and how we line it up is important, but I think four is all we need,” manager Dave Roberts said before the Dodgers’ workout at Dodger Stadium on Saturday.
In the immediate time after eliminating the Phillies, Roberts said Shohei Ohtani was the Dodgers’ likely starter for Game 1 of the NLCS. However, he noted the team still hadn’t finalized their rotation order. On Saturday, Roberts echoed that sentiment and said the Dodgers were still evaluating the best course of action.
What Roberts was further sure of is even if the NLCS becomes a long series, the Dodgers would not need a bullpen game.
“Obviously no one knows how the series is going to play out, but I do think how we would kind of line the starters up, we would do the best we can to get four starters and not have to take on a bullpen game,” he said.
Dodgers starting pitchers for NLCS
Blake Snell is available to start Game 1 on six days of rest, and he could then pitch again in a potential Game 5 five days later.
Given the team’s preference to have Ohtani make a pitching start before an off day, it would appear he’s not likely to take the mound until Game 2 at American Family Field.
But such an order would delay Yoshinobu Yamamoto until Game 3 and potentially impact his availability if the NLCS went the distance. Yamamoto theoretically could start a Game 7, but that would only be on traditional MLB rest (four rest).
Yamamoto received at least five days of rest between every start this season. He also never pitched on only four days of rest in 2024, though it was something the Dodgers began to consider before Yamamoto suffered a right shoulder injury.
Yamamoto mentioned during the middle of this season he was willing and felt capable of starting on what long has been referred to as regular rest.
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