MILWAUKEE – The Dodgers will start Blake Snell in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series on Monday then Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 2.
The rotation is a change from the best-of-five NL Division Series when Shohei Ohtani started Game 1 against the Philadelphia Phillies, Snell Game 2 and Yamamoto Game 3.
Ohtani will pitch “at some point” during the best-of-seven NLCS, Roberts said, but he didn’t specify which game.
The change is meant to put “the guys that could potentially pitch on regular rest” later in the series, Roberts said. Snell would be available to start again in Game 5 on four days’ rest. He has made 78 regular season starts on four days’ rest. Yamamoto could come back for Game 6 on five days’ rest. In two seasons with the Dodgers, they have never asked Yamamoto to pitch on less than five days’ rest (regular season or postseason).
Tyler Glasnow would presumably start Game 3 and be available to start a potential Game 7 on four days’ rest – unless Ohtani is held back until then. Roberts said only that Ohtani will pitch “at some point” during the series.
Roberts indicated the Dodgers’ only plan for Ohtani to pitch once per round, “so how do you get some of your best pitchers the most innings in a potential seven-game series?”
Roberts said Ohtani’s batting slump was not a factor in deciding to push him back in the rotation. Ohtani was just 1 for 18 with nine strikeouts in the NLDS, including 0 for 4 with four strikeouts in the game he pitched.
“No, not at all,” Roberts said. “I expect a different output from Shohei on the offensive side this series. But pushing him back … (was not motivated by) the offensive performance.”
The Milwaukee Brewers’ starting rotation for the NLCS against the Dodgers is more muddled after their NLDS against the Chicago Cubs went the full five games.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy said the only given is that staff ace Freddy Peralta will start Game 2 on normal rest. Game 1 will probably be started by an ‘opener’ with left-hander Jose Quintana or right-hander Quinn Priester following. Both Quintana and Priester spent the regular season in the starting rotation.
“We may use an opener in Game 1,” Murphy acknowledged. “And then we’ll look at Game 3 when we get to it.”
The Brewers started closer Trevor Megill as the opener in Game 5 of their NLDS against the Cubs. Jacob Misiorowski followed and pitched four innings.