The Dodgers are heading to Milwaukee with the kind of October rotation that can make a clubhouse feel a little quieter before first pitch. Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow combined to allow four earned runs over 21 1/3 innings against Atlanta, a 1.69 ERA that trails only Tampa Bay’s postseason starters among the clubs still playing. Los Angeles needed four games to finish the National League Division Series, and that result gives Dave Roberts room to line up his arms again for the NL Championship Series.
Los Angeles, the National League’s No. 2 seed, used its first-round bye to arrange the staff for October. The Dodgers’ starters were central to their championship repeat in 2025, and the same four-man group has carried considerable weight as the club pursues a third straight World Series title. The Brewers await at American Family Field, with Game 1 scheduled for Sunday.
Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations, said the dominance did not catch the organization off guard, but he appreciated the competitive edge shown by the pitchers. He pointed to the way they pushed one another and said the club is eager to see them work deeper into games during a series it hopes is the path to eight more wins.
Skubal gets the first call
Skubal is in position to take the ball for the opener after Los Angeles avoided a deciding Game 5 against the Braves. The Trade Deadline addition had been set to pitch that Friday elimination game if necessary, but instead he can open the Brewers series with extra preparation.
In his Division Series start, Skubal worked six innings and surrendered one run on two hits. He walked two and struck out seven. Milwaukee had interest in acquiring him during the summer, adding another layer to his first postseason meeting with the Brewers.
The likely pitching matchup could be a marquee one. Milwaukee has not formally announced its order, though Jacob Misiorowski appears positioned to start Game 1. That would put Skubal, a two-time reigning American League Cy Young Award winner, against the pitcher widely expected to receive this season’s National League Cy Young honor.
Yamamoto is expected to follow in Game 2 after the Dodgers deliberately held him for the third game of the Atlanta series. The scheduling was designed with the NLCS in mind: a Game 2 assignment would keep him on his customary five days of rest and also leave him lined up for a possible Game 6 under the same routine.
The right-hander gave Los Angeles seven innings in his NLDS appearance, allowing one earned run and four hits while walking one and striking out 10. Yamamoto has not made a Dodgers start on less than five days’ rest, though he showed last October that he can handle unusual demands. He earned World Series MVP honors a year ago after closing Game 7 without a day off. He has indicated he would consider shorter rest or a relief appearance if called upon, but the Dodgers would prefer to preserve his usual schedule unless the series forces a different choice.
Snell projects for Game 3, where additional recovery time could be useful after an uneven Division Series outing. He allowed one run over 3 2/3 innings against Atlanta, yielding three hits, issuing five walks and recording five strikeouts. That was only his third appearance in roughly two and a half weeks after left groin tightness resurfaced in mid-September. A longer break before his next turn could help him regain the consistency in his delivery that was missing at times in that start.
Glasnow would slot into Game 4, a remarkable indication of the Dodgers’ depth rather than any reflection on his ability. Los Angeles is unbeaten in the seven postseason games he has pitched for the club. In the Division Series clincher, he allowed one earned run and one hit across 4 2/3 innings, striking out five while walking five. On plenty of Major League staffs, Glasnow would be the obvious October ace. For the Dodgers, he is the fourth option in a rotation built to keep them playing deep into the month.
