Dodgers commit to Skubal for Game 1 start in NLDS, source says - ESPN

LOS ANGELES — Dodgers ace Tarik Skubal will get the ball in Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves on Saturday afternoon, a source told ESPN on Friday. The Dodgers are still uncertain about their plans beyond Skubal, though NL Cy Young contender Yoshinobu Yamamoto would be the logical choice.

Left-hander Skubal, acquired from the Detroit Tigers in a blockbuster trade at midseason, has won the past two American League Cy Young Awards. But there was some thought to potentially starting Yamamoto in Game 1 because it would allow both to be available for a potential winner-take-all Game 5, given that Yamamoto is accustomed to working on at least five days' rest.

The Athletic was first to report that Skubal would start Game 1.

One potential factor in the Dodgers' decision: The Braves have fared better against right-handers (.730 OPS) than lefties (.696 OPS) this season. Lining Skubal up for Games 1 and 5 probably factors into that, and it could make fellow southpaw Blake Snell a possibility for Game 2.

The Braves' plans remain in flux in the wake of their win in Game 3 of their wild-card series against Philadelphia on Thursday night. Manager Walt Weiss said from Atlanta on Friday that the team would continue to iron out its pitching plans during the flight to L.A. later that afternoon.

Weiss acknowledged he'll have to rely heavily on his bullpen in the first two games. Ace Chris Sale was previously lined up to start Sunday's Game 2, but he was used to cover four outs in the winner-take-all Game 3 against the Phillies, throwing 21 pitches.

That outing could technically count as Sale's between-starts bullpen session, coming off his Tuesday start in Game 1. But the 37-year-old left-hander has