LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers took the opening game of this National League Division Series, 5-3, on Saturday, and the afternoon underscored the difference between having a settled October starter and trying to piece together nine innings from the bullpen door. Los Angeles left-hander Tarik Skubal handled the long haul for six innings, while Atlanta was forced to keep searching for outs behind opener Dylan Dodd.
Skubal gives Los Angeles the steady hand
Skubal, a two-time reigning American League Cy Young Award winner, made his first postseason start for the two-time defending World Series champions and gave the Dodgers exactly what a club wants in Game 1: length, control and very little traffic.
- He yielded two hits and one run across six innings.
- Drake Baldwin opened the game with a single, then Skubal retired 15 consecutive Braves.
- Sean Murphy ended that streak with a solo home run in the sixth.
Atlanta’s pitching situation looked considerably less comfortable. Dodd delivered three scoreless innings as the opener, following the blueprint Ray Kerr used in the Wild Card round. Kerr had worked 3 1/3 shutout innings in Thursday’s Game 3 victory over Philadelphia.
But once Dodd left, the Dodgers found the openings. Teoscar Hernández greeted Victor Mederos with a two-run homer. In the sixth, Kyle Tucker and Max Muncy each went deep against AJ Smith-Shawver, pushing Los Angeles further ahead.
Atlanta’s rotation depth is under strain
The Braves survived their best-of-three Wild Card Series with two conventional starts and a reliever opening the third game. The Game 1 loss, however, put a sharper focus on whether Atlanta has enough available pitching to survive a longer series against Los Angeles.
Chris Sale could be available to start Sunday’s Game 2, but his recent workload tells the story of Atlanta’s limited alternatives. Sale started Game 1 of the Wild Card Series, worked in relief two days later and could take the ball again three days after that bullpen outing.
- Bryce Elder is unavailable for this round because of a right knee issue.
- Martín Pérez is also out of the picture with a sore back.
- Sale and possible Game 3 starter Tyler Mahle are the only pitchers on Atlanta’s NLDS roster who may be positioned for regular starts over the rest of the series.
- Dodd may not be the last Braves opener needed against the Dodgers.
That lack of conventional rotation coverage has placed president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos in a difficult spot after an injury-heavy season. Across the field, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman noted Saturday morning at Dodger Stadium that a surplus of capable starters makes life easier.
Game 2 carries the early-series weight
Atlanta will try to even the series Sunday night, with Game 2 scheduled for 8 p.m. ET and 5 p.m. PT on FS1, FOX Deportes and FOX One.
History makes the assignment more urgent. In best-of-five postseason series, the club that wins the opener has ultimately captured the series 116 times in 160 tries, a 73 percent rate. Under the current 2-2-1 Division Series format, home teams that take Game 1 have advanced 42 times out of 56, or 75 percent.
The Braves have already shown they can navigate an unconventional pitching plan. But after Skubal’s composed six-inning performance and the Dodgers’ three-homer response against Atlanta’s relief options, the visitors enter Game 2 needing both a sharper bullpen script and somebody capable of carrying the ball deep into the night.
