Browsing: Glasnow

TORONTO — The Dodgers have set a date for Shohei Ohtaniâ€s first World Series start — Game 4 on Tuesday — and theyâ€ve set the rest of their rotation through Game 4 as well.

Hours before Yoshinobu Yamamoto took the mound on Saturday night at Rogers Centre, manager Dave Roberts announced that Tyler Glasnow would get the ball for Game 3 on Monday at Dodger Stadium. Ohtani is set to follow Glasnow in Game 4 on Tuesday, Roberts said.

Itâ€s the same rotation the Dodgers used for their National League Championship Series sweep of the Brewers. The alignment would allow all four starters to pitch on the rest they’re accustomed to.

Snell would have four days off between Game 1 and a potential Game 5. The same goes for Glasnow between Games 3 and 7. With both of the Series†off-days between his starts, Yamamoto would have five days between Games 2 and 6, leaving Ohtani to make his start in Game 4. Itâ€s then possible that he would be available in relief should the series go the distance.

Thereâ€s only one stage bigger: the World Series. Saturday marked Ohtaniâ€s seventh World Series game. But he has yet to pitch in any of them after spending last season recovering from Tommy John surgery.

The Blue Jays†loaded starting lineup has already proven a tougher challenge than any of Los Angeles†opponents in the postseason. Toronto chased Snell after five-plus innings on Friday in an 11-4 victory.

Itâ€s entirely possible that the decisive matchup of the World Series will be the Blue Jays†relentless offense against the Dodgers†quartet of aces. Even with Snellâ€s Game 1 dud, Dodgers starters have posted a 1.95 ERA in 11 games this postseason, averaging 6 1/3 innings per start.

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    Bradford DoolittleOct 14, 2025, 06:56 PM ET

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      • MLB writer and analyst for ESPN.com
      • Former NBA writer and analyst for ESPN.com
      • Been with ESPN since 2013

MILWAUKEE — Tyler Glasnow will start Game 3 of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers, followed by Shohei Ohtani in Game 4.

Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts made the announcement before Tuesday’s Game 2 of the series.

Glasnow last started on Thursday, throwing six scoreless innings in L.A.’s Game 4 clincher of the division series against the Philadelphia Phillies.

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Meanwhile, Ohtani hasn’t pitched since Oct. 4, when he allowed three runs over six innings against the Philadelphia Philies in Game 1 of the NL Division Series. Of course, he has served as the Dodgers’ leadoff hitter and DH in every postseason game since then, and the order of the pitchers back in Los Angeles could allow Ohtani to add another role to his already-bursting résumé.

“Shohei has been fine with rest,” Roberts said. “Potentially lines him up if we need a Game 7 out of the pen.”

Glasnow also has pitched out of the bullpen this October, throwing 1â…” scoreless frames in relief of Ohtani in that start against Cincinnati.

“Game 3, we feel that Tyler is on regular rest, so it kind of lines him up, as well,” Roberts said. “So, just kind of all these things just made sense.”

The Dodgers grabbed a 1-0 lead in the NLCS with a tense 2-1 decision on Monday at American Family Field.

Games 3 and 4 will be played this Thursday and Friday at Dodger Stadium, as the defending champions seek to return to the World Series for the fifth time in the past nine seasons.

The Brewers have not announced their pitching plans for Game 3 or Game 4.

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SEATTLE — Locked in as the National League’s No. 3 seed with the regular season winding down, the Dodgers have been able to spend the weekend series at T-Mobile Park preparing for the NL Wild Card Series.

That has involved resting their regulars — Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernández sat out of Saturday night’s 5-3 win, while Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman were out the prior game — and taking a critical look at their roster to decide who should make the cut for the postseason.

“Now you see guys playing, competing for an opportunity to be on the postseason roster and also potentially getting innings,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I like that fight, and they’re leaving it all out there. That’s all I ask. And not be afraid to fail. Leave everything you have out there on the field.”

The Dodgers won’t find out which team — either the Reds or the Mets — will seize the third NL Wild Card spot until after Game 162. That could influence some of their decisions. Here are some of the biggest roster questions facing them before their postseason begins on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium:

Could Tyler Glasnow be available out of the ‘pen?
Friday ended up being a bullpen game, giving L.A. a look at seven arms — including an electric Roki Sasaki — who could be part of the postseason relief picture. Saturday’s starter, Glasnow, had a planned short outing, pitching three scoreless innings. He will likely be on the roster for the Wild Card Series, Roberts said.

“I think that right now, where we’re at, we want to go with our best,” Roberts said. “However that looks, that’s kind of the reason why we shortened Emmet [Sheehan], shortened Tyler.”

The team has not announced its rotation for the Wild Card Series, but Ohtani, Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are lined up for the three games. If Glasnow makes the roster, he would be used in relief for the first time since he was with the Pirates in 2018.

“If you boil it down, pitching is pitching,” Glasnow said. “Just try to go out there and treat it like another inning. Maybe have a little bit more adrenaline. But I’m looking forward to it.”

What’s the latest on Will Smith, and could he make the roster?
Roberts said the other day that he was “hoping,” rather than “hopeful,” that Smith would be available in time for the Wild Card Series. Smith hit foam balls in the cage on Saturday, his first time swinging since imaging revealed he had a hairline fracture in his right hand.

The Dodgers could opt to carry three catchers if they feel Smith is close, but time is not on their side.

“It’s a balancing act because, obviously, he’s incredibly talented and we want to do everything that we can to have him in there,” general manager Brandon Gomes said Friday. “But we may get to a point where, hey, it may not make sense that some percentage of Will is worth putting on the roster. So we’ve got a few days. I don’t want to close the door on him yet. But we’ve got to go fast in the next few days to see where we’re at.”

How about others dealing with lingering injuries?
Tommy Edman (right ankle) and Max Muncy (lower body) are both dealing with some lingering discomfort that has limited their playing time recently. Edman returned to the lineup on Saturday, albeit as the DH, while Muncy has not played since Wednesday. Both are expected to be ready to go on Tuesday.

If either Edman or Muncy is compromised during the postseason run, then that could open the door for more playing time for Kiké Hernández, who hit a go-ahead two-run double off Mariners closer Andrés Muñoz in the ninth inning on Saturday.

Either way, Hernández could feasibly earn himself more playing time going forward. He’s a proven postseason performer, with an .875 OPS in the playoffs, compared with .708 in the regular season, in his career.

“We needed to finish the season strong,” Hernández said. “October is all about whoever’s playing the best baseball at the end of the season. And that’s a really good team over there.”

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