The Los Angeles Dodgers have a plethora of starting pitchers, and the group will have a huge impact on how successful the team will be against the Philadelphia Phillies.
While the team has not officially released the starters for each game, Fabian Ardaya laid out what the pitching plan will likely look like for the series starting Saturday.
“The Dodgers have Shohei Ohtani lined up to start Game 1 on Saturday night, with Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto on regular rest for Games 2 and 3, and Tyler Glasnow is still looming for a possible Game 4,” Ardaya wrote for The Athletic. “Emmet Sheehan and Clayton Kershaw are both options in case the Dodgers need to break glass for further starting depth.”
If Game 5 happens, the Dodgers will likely go back to Ohtani as he would have six days of rest prior to that start due to travel days.
If Glasnow does not start Game 4, Sheehan and Kershaw are options for that game as well. However, Dave Roberts would likely stick with the 32-year-old starter and keep things simple.
The starting pitching for Los Angeles is going to make or break the team in the NLDS as the Phillies have an electric lineup with Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper and Trea Turner. On top of that, the Dodgers bullpen has been between inconsistent and awful for much of the season. If the starters get knocked out of the game early, Roberts’ team is in trouble.
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