It's Snell in Game 2 as Dodgers set NLDS rotation
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PHILADELPHIA -- On the eve of Saturday's NL Division Series opener at Citizens Bank Park, manager Dave Roberts shared some insight on how the Dodgers will configure their pitching against the Phillies.
Following Shohei Ohtani in Game 1 on Saturday, Blake Snell is expected to get the ball for Game 2 on Monday. Yoshinobu Yamamoto should get the nod in Game 3, when the series shifts to Dodger Stadium on Wednesday.
Additionally, Tyler Glasnow will be available in relief on Saturday -- essentially replacing his regular side session between starts -- which would line him up to start Game 4 on Thursday, if necessary. And as had been expected, Clayton Kershaw is on the Division Series roster as a member of the bullpen.
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Coming off a pair of stellar starts in the NL Wild Card Series against the Reds, Snell (seven innings, two runs) and Yamamoto (6 2/3 innings, two unearned runs) will be able to start on their customary rest because there is an off-day between Games 1 and 2 of the Division Series.
It took until August for the Dodgers to have the fully healthy rotation they envisioned, and since then, their starters led the Majors with a 2.74 ERA. The team has laid out their postseason pitching plans around getting Snell, Yamamoto and Ohtani the bulk of the starts, and Roberts is willing to push them deep into games when it makes sense.
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"I think it's all contingent on how they're throwing the baseball," Roberts said. "I think it's easy to say that they're our most talented arms on the staff. So obviously with that, you want them throwing the majority of the innings, pitches."
Given how unreliable the Dodgers' bullpen has been this season, getting length out of the rotation is even more important. Having Glasnow available out of the 'pen in Game 1 and Kershaw working as a reliever for the remainder of the postseason run could be a boost. Emmet Sheehan has also shifted from the rotation to the bullpen, but he struggled in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series, allowing two runs in one-third of an inning.
Kershaw made one relief appearance in the regular season, pitching a scoreless ninth inning in an eventual Dodgers win in extra innings on Sept. 24 in Arizona. While the veteran left-hander, who is retiring after this season, has a mixed track record in the postseason, he brings a steadiness that Roberts hopes will help set the tone in what has been a volatile Los Angeles bullpen.
Latest on Smith
The Dodgers chose to carry three catchers -- including Will Smith, who is dealing with a hairline fracture in his right hand -- on the Wild Card Series roster earlier this week. Smith was a pinch-hit option off the bench, and he did not end up making it into a game. Ben Rortvedt started behind the plate, and Dalton Rushing served as the backup.
That will tentatively be the plan for the Division Series, as well, after Smith looked solid while taking live batting practice against Kirby Yates and Ben Casparius during the team's workout on Friday night. Roberts has said that Smith should be available to catch, but the Dodgers are unsure how his hand would respond to a full nine innings behind the plate.
"Just trying to be mindful [that he hasn't] caught in a long time," Roberts said. "And then kind of looking at the series and the capacity he can take on. So those are things that are kind of going through our heads right now."