LOS ANGELES — With less than 24 hours before the first pitch of Game 1 of the NLDS, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts made his decision: Tarik Skubal will take the ball Saturday afternoon against the Braves.
The choice came from a rotation that gives the Dodgers perhaps as much depth as any team could ask for. Skubal earned the assignment over reigning World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, fellow two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell and All-Star right-hander Tyler Glasnow.
“With the four guys, it doesn't really matter who, but I think that we feel good about Tarik taking the baseball tomorrow afternoon,” Roberts said.
As it turns out, Skubal knew his assignment before the regular season was even over.
When Roberts pulled him after just 75 pitches in his final start in San Francisco, Skubal initially wondered why. He approached his manager, expecting there might be another reason for the early exit.
Instead, Roberts gave him a message that changed the rest of his week.
“He came and shook my hand. I was at kind of a low pitch count, I thought in the moment I was going to be able to finish the game. And he was like, ‘Get ready for Game 1,’” Skubal said.
Skubal said he was “obviously excited and fired up and ready to go.”
Now comes a new experience for the reigning back-to-back unanimous Cy Young winner.
For everything Skubal has accomplished, he has never had the opportunity to pitch at home in October. That changes Saturday, when he takes the mound in front of a Dodgers crowd for the opening game of the NLDS.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to throw in front of the fans,” Skubal said.
The left-hander also knows exactly what the atmosphere can feel like when he pitched for the Tigers.
“Usually when I walk out onto the field in a playoff game, it's usually received with a lot of boos,” Skubal said. “So I'm excited to get some cheers in there for us. And to pitch at home, I think it's going to be a ton of fun in front of this atmosphere.”
His approach for the biggest start of his Dodgers career?
Keep it simple.
“I have to be really good at what makes me good,” Skubal said.
The weather will provide another challenge, with triple-digit temperatures expected Saturday. Skubal, however, doesn't appear particularly concerned.
“We probably won't have to go to the bathroom. Just sweat it out,” he joked.
The extra time between starts has also been welcomed by the left-hander.
“I think for a starter, it's easiest to take time off,” Skubal said.
He also credited Dodgers fans for the reception he has received since arriving in Los Angeles and said he is looking forward to finally pitching in front of them in October.
“I’m excited to throw in front of them tomorrow.”
Ohtani Says His Swing Is Trending in the Right Direction
While Skubal prepares for his first postseason start at Dodger Stadium, Shohei Ohtani is preparing to return to October action after recently being activated from the 15-day injured list.
Ohtani said he feels really good overall and believes his swing has benefited from the extended break.
“I do feel like my swing is in a better place,” Ohtani said. “Just little tweaks here and there, and I’ll be ready for tomorrow.”
The time away from games, he said, has given him an opportunity to make adjustments while managing the ailments that surfaced during the second half.
“Being on the IL has taught me a lot,” Ohtani said.
But the Dodgers' star acknowledged that his lingering biceps and knee issues remain something he will have to manage throughout the postseason.
Asked whether those injuries could require attention during the offseason, Ohtani said he has not yet identified the root cause of everything he has been dealing with.
“I haven't been able to get a good grasp of the root cause of all this,” Ohtani said. “I think that process is going to happen during the off-season when I'm going to have a little bit more time to be able to address it. But as of now, it's something I'm just going to have to manage.”
That reality isn't unique to Ohtani.
Roberts said most of the players currently preparing for the postseason are dealing with some level of physical issue.
“Most players that are performing now are not at 100%,” Roberts said.
Still, Roberts expects Ohtani to perform well when the Dodgers open their series Saturday. He also expressed confidence in Freddie Freeman, whose own lingering injuries have been a storyline heading into October, particularly after seeing Freeman in Thursday's intrasquad game.
The Dodgers will enter the NLDS with a roster expected to feature 14 position players and 12 pitchers, according to Roberts. He was not yet ready to announce the starters for Games 2 and 3.
For now, the focus belongs to Skubal.
The Dodgers acquired him to pitch in moments exactly like this one. On Saturday, in front of a home crowd and with the season entering its most important stretch, he gets the opportunity to show what he can do.
And unlike his previous playoff outings in opposing ballparks, this time, the cheers will be for him.