Dodgers Reportedly Set Skubal for NLDS Game 1

The Los Angeles Dodgers are expected to start Tarik Skubal against the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of the National League Division Series on Saturday, according to reports, giving the left-hander the opening assignment over fellow ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The team had not formally confirmed the selection in the available information. Skubal, a two-time American League Cy Young Award winner, joined the Dodgers from the Detroit Tigers in an August trade. The reported decision puts him at the front of a rotation that also includes Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow as Los Angeles begins its postseason campaign. Two reports said Skubal went 5-2 with a 2.61 earned-run average in 10 starts for Los Angeles after the trade. Another account gave a different total, reporting eight starts and a 3-2 record with a 2.52 ERA. The reports do not explain the discrepancy, so the figures cannot be reconciled here. The Dodgers’ choice, if confirmed, would give Skubal the first start of their series against Atlanta. Yamamoto had also been considered for the opener, but one report said he threw extensively in a simulated game Wednesday and could instead line up for Game 3 in Atlanta.