Winning the National League Division Series in four games gave the Dodgers the luxury of starting their rotation exactly the way they wanted for the next round. Tarik Skubal takes the ball in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series against the Brewers, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 2 to cover the first two games of the series in Milwaukee, manager Dave Roberts said via Zoom on Friday.
Skubal struck out seven in six innings in their win over the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of the NLDS. This will be the fourth Game 1 start for Skubal, who has a 1.97 ERA in seven career starts, with 63 strikeouts and seven walks in 45 2/3 innings, and he has gone at least six innings in seven starts.
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Yamamoto added to his legend in Game 7 of last year’s World Series when he pitched the last eight in Game 7 one day after starting and pitching six innings in Game 6. He is the only pitcher in postseason history to win five straight road appearances while allowing no more than one run in each game, a streak that began in Game 2 of last year’s NLCS, including in Milwaukee.
Ahead of his NLDS start, Yamamoto indicated he would be willing to start on short rest or pitch out of the bullpen if needed when asked.
“I am ready for any eventuality. If they want me to leave, then I will leave,” said Yamamoto, translated by Yoshihiro Sonoda. “But for me, they’re the key for me. The postseason is just a game in front of me.”
But so far, every one of Yamamoto’s 86 MLB starts — among 10 in his career — has come with at least five days off, and Game 2 comes with five days after a 10-strikeout seven-inning rest on Tuesday in Atlanta. Starting Yamamoto in Game 2 of the best-of-7 series would allow him to also start in Game 6 on five days’ rest, while Games 1 and 3 starters would start in Games 5 and 7 on four days’ rest.
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“It’s more about how he got his rest this year, and that he has a good chance to miss two games, Games 2 and 6,” Roberts said. “During the day and the game schedule, that’s probably the best way to manage.”