The Los Angeles Dodgers have battled through a brutal amount of injuries to their starting rotation this season to put themselves on the brink of the National League’s No. 1 seed.
With so much talent still on the shelf, it had been unclear who would be on the bump for the Dodgers when they open the postseason next week, but manager Dave Roberts recently shared the team’s full rotation for the NLDS.
Roberts has officially announced the team’s NLDS rotation with Jack Flaherty starting Game 1, Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 2, Walker Buehler in Game 3, and Landon Knack for Game 4 if necessary.
Dave Roberts revealed his NLDS starting rotation:
-Jack Flaherty
-Yoshinobu Yamamoto
-Walker Buehler
-Landon Knack pic.twitter.com/5Fpb1YCaBB— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) September 27, 2024
This is not the rotation Dodgers fans hoped to be watching in the NLDS prior to the season, but it’s the best they can do right now with Tyler Glasnow, Gavin Stone, River Ryan, Tony Gonsolin, and Emmet Sheehan all out for the year, while Clayton Kershaw is still on the shelf for the time being.
Their injured starting rotation alone would be enough to compete for a title.
Flaherty has had a strong year and has been a welcomed addition since coming over from the Detroit Tigers at the trade deadline.
He has a 3.17 ERA and the Dodgers have won seven of his ten starts since joining the club.
Yamamoto has made three starts since missing three months with a triceps injury and hasn’t thrown more than 79 pitches in any of those starts, so his big question mark will be durability heading into October.
Buehler is the diciest choice of the bunch, as he currently sports a 5.38 ERA and just one win in his 16 starts this season.
It may not be the rotation Dodgers fans envisioned, but it’s the best they can do right now.
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