Yamamoto will start Game 1 on Saturday and Flaherty will start Game 2 on Sunday at Dodger Stadium. With the changes made, Yamamoto will likely be available in Game 5 with an extra day of rest, as he has been in every outing this season.
“It's about more options,” he said. Andrew FriedmanPresident of Baseball Operations, Thursday. “It creates flexibility for things we can't know right now, which is how our pitching is used from Games 1 through 4 and having as many options as we can.”
He said both pitchers were very happy with the outcome once the logic was explained.
The NLDS pits the Dodgers against the Padres for the third time in five years. The Padres went 3-1 in 2022 and the Dodgers went 3-0 in 2020, en route to winning the World Series in a pandemic-shortened season.
“It feels like you're on a collision course,” Friedman said. “They're a good team. We know it's going to be really good baseball.”
Friedman compares the competition to a game of chess because division rivals know each other well. The Padres went 8-5 against the Dodgers in the regular season, and the NL West title was decided in the last minute.
“Are you still sticking to your strengths? Are you changing things? How are you going to address that?” “If you've done something specific with a certain player in those regular-season matchups, do you stick with it? Do you back away from it? I think it depends on the case.”
The best record in baseball gave the Dodgers a break this week. They worked on the fundamentals Thursday, using a high-speed pitching machine for batting practice and played on the stadium's video screens for the decisive Game 3 of the NL wild-card series between the Mets and the Mets.
Shohei Ohtani Hit a ground ball per second against a simulated game Tony Gonsolin. Freddie Freeman He flied into foul territory in left field on a quiet field.
Some players had organized watch parties for the National League Wild Card Series, which the Padres won in two games. Atlanta Braves.
The extra time has proven valuable for injured players like Freeman and shortstop Miguel Rojas.
Freeman sprained his right ankle after landing awkwardly while running to first during last week's NL West cleansing game against the Padres. Manager Dave Roberts expressed confidence that Freeman will be in the lineup for Game 1, despite acknowledging that the All-Star first baseman's mobility could be compromised on defense.
Freeman took a swing at the batting cage Thursday and has improved day by day. He also injured the middle finger of his right hand at the end of August.
“It's hard because every time you talk to him about it he's like, 'I'm fine, I'll be fine,'” she said.
Rojas has a torn left hamstring, an injury he has been playing with for two weeks.
“Mickey is beautiful,” Friedman said. “Time [fuera] It really helped him.”
Friedman confirmed that Ohtani will continue his throwing program as he recovers from a second elbow surgery a year ago. The Japanese superstar will not progress to live batting practice just yet.
Not pitching this season has allowed Ohtani to focus on his offense and the results have been record-breaking. Became first player in Major League history with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this story.
