Dodgers Face Rotation Ordering Decisions Ahead of NLDS Opener

OriginalGlobal Sportscast deskSep 25, 2026 · 16:16 UTC

The short version

The Dodgers have a bye into the NLDS, which starts Oct. 3.
Their postseason rotation consists of Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow.
Skubal, pitching Friday, would be on seven days' rest before a potential Game 1 start.
Snell has a 1.04 ERA in six starts since returning from the injured list.
A potential Game 5 could feature Skubal or Yamamoto on short rest.

With a bye into the National League Division Series starting Oct. 3, Los Angeles must set the order for Skubal, Yamamoto, Snell and Glasnow.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have locked up a bye straight into the National League Division Series, which begins on Oct. 3. With all of their starting pitchers rested by the time the series opens, the main question facing manager Dave Roberts and his staff is not who will pitch in October but in what order.

The four starters lined up for the postseason are Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow. According to a Yahoo Sports analysis, the Dodgers would be hard-pressed to get the ordering wrong with a group of that caliber, but the report argues there is a clear way to arrange it.

The case for Skubal in Game 1 rests on his resume and his schedule. The two-time Cy Young Award winner was described as the best left-handed pitcher in baseball, and the Dodgers made a significant trade-deadline move to acquire him. He is set to pitch on Friday, seven days before NLDS Game 1, meaning he would take the ball in the opener on extra rest.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto is the recommended starter for Game 2. The Yahoo report notes that the Dodgers rode his performance to a championship last season, when he was described as being on another level. On most teams he would be the undisputed ace, but in Los Angeles he shares a rotation with multiple Cy Young Award winners.

Games 3 and 4 present the first genuinely difficult calls. Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow are both excellent options, and both missed significant time this season. The report comes down on the side of Snell for Game 3, calling it a relatively easy choice.

Snell's case includes three quality starts in last year's postseason, though he struggled in his final two starts of that run before returning to pitch well in relief in Game 7 of the World Series. He is also a two-time Cy Young Award winner and has posted a 1.04 ERA across six starts since coming off the injured list.

That assignment leaves Glasnow for Game 4, with Skubal lined up for a potential Game 5 on regular rest. However, the report notes that a decisive Game 5 is less straightforward than the opener. Yamamoto could instead start that game on four days' rest, something he has not done this year but proved capable of last postseason, when he pitched well on short rest, or even no rest at all.

Skubal remains the likely choice if the series reaches a fifth game, but Yamamoto's postseason performance from a year ago gives the Dodgers a legitimate alternative to weigh as October approaches.

Before the playoffs begin, the Dodgers close their regular-season schedule with a road series against the San Francisco Giants. The two teams meet Friday, September 25 at 10:15 PM EDT at Oracle Park, with coverage on MLB.TV, NBC Sports BA and SportsNet LA.