Game 1 of the National League Division Series will pit a reigning two-time Cy Young Award winner with a fellow who's made just seven career starts.
That's the Atlanta Braves' reality as they trot out Dylan Dodd against Tarik Skubal in the opener of their best-of-five Saturday, Oct. 3 at Dodger Stadium.
Skubal, 29, will give up his reign as the AL's top pitcher - his August trade to the Dodgers instead installed him atop the two-time defending champions' pitching pyramid. He unseats World Series hero Yoshinobu Yamamoto as their first ace out of the chute.
Skubal also has a shot to help neutralize Atlanta's lefty hitters, such as leadoff man Drake Baldwin, slugging first baseman
Matt Olson and left fielder Mike Yastrzemski.
Dodd's task is even more focused: Shut down Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman in the first couple innings.
A third-round pick in 2021, Dodd had a pair of three-inning outings in April and May but has been used in much shorter bursts since then. Yet Atlanta comes into this series with its starting pitching compromised, as ace Chris Sale's turn doesn't come up until Sunday - and, he closed out their Game 3 clincher in the wild card series against Philadelphia, recording the final four outs Thursday.
So the Braves will attempt to patch together nine innings of a bullpen game, with either Sale or No. 2 starter Tyler Mahle ready to roll in Game 2 Sunday.
Where to watch Dodgers vs Braves: TV channel, streaming
- Time: 4 p.m. ET
- TV channel: Fox
- Live stream: Fubo
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dodgers vs Braves pitchers: Who is Atlanta starting in NLDS Game 1 against Skubal?
