Dodgers choose Skubal for NLCS opener, Yamamoto for Game 2

The Dodgers will open the National League Championship Series with Tarik Skubal in Game 1 and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 2, manager Dave Roberts confirmed Friday. The first two games against Milwaukee are scheduled for Sunday and Monday at American Family Field.

The decision gives Los Angeles a settled start to a best-of-seven series after it eliminated Atlanta in four games. Skubal would have been needed for a deciding NLDS Game 5 on Friday. Closing out the Braves earlier instead allowed the Dodgers to reset their rotation before traveling to Milwaukee.

Skubal allowed one run and two hits over six innings in his NLDS opener, striking out seven and walking two in a 5-3 victory. The left-hander, acquired by Los Angeles at the trade deadline, will take the ball again when the NLCS begins Sunday at 8 p.m. Eastern.

Yamamoto moves from the third game of the Division Series to the second game of this round. He struck out 10 Braves across seven innings in his previous start, allowing one run, four hits and one walk. His Monday assignment puts him on the five days of rest the Dodgers have consistently used for his starts.

The schedule also preserves that interval for a potential Game 6. Eric Stephen of True Blue LA reported that all 86 of Yamamoto's major-league starts, including 10 in the postseason, have come with at least five days of rest. Roberts said the series calendar and the chance to get two starts from him informed the arrangement.

That does not rule out other uses later. Yamamoto has said he is willing to pitch on shorter rest or in relief if needed. His work in last year's World Series established that flexibility, but the current assignment keeps his normal preparation intact for the beginning of this series.

Los Angeles' four starters combined for a 1.69 ERA in the Division Series, allowing four earned runs in 21 1/3 innings. Skubal and Yamamoto supplied 13 of those innings, giving the Dodgers two effective performances that reduced the amount of work required from their relievers.

The rest of the starting order remains less definite. MLB.com's rotation preview projects Blake Snell for Game 3 and Tyler Glasnow for Game 4, but those slots are projections rather than additional announced assignments. Snell pitched 3 2/3 innings in his NLDS start after dealing with left groin tightness in September; Glasnow worked 4 2/3 innings in the clincher.

For now, the confirmed change is at the front: Skubal keeps the opener, and Yamamoto moves forward one game. Milwaukee hosts both starts, with the Dodgers using the break between rounds to align their strongest available pitching options and Yamamoto's established rest schedule.