Reports: Dodgers turn to LHP Tarik Skubal in Game 1 vs. Braves

LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Dodgers will reportedly have left-hander Tarik Skubal on the mound as their starter in Game 1 of the National League Division Series on Saturday against the Atlanta Braves. The decision gives Skubal the nod over fellow staff ace and 2025 playoff hero Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was the Dodgers' Opening Day starter this season. The Dodgers acquired Skubal in an Aug. 2 trade from the Detroit Tigers that added the two-time defending American League Cy Young Award winner to the staff of the two-time defending champions. Skubal, 29, went 5-2 with a 2.61 ERA in 10 starts with the Dodgers after going 7-5 with a 2.79 ERA in 16 starts for the Tigers. In seven major league seasons, after starting his major league career for the Tigers in 2020, Skubal is 66-44 with a 3.02 ERA in the regular season. In the postseason with the Tigers the past two seasons, Skubal went 2-1 with a 2.04 ERA in six starts as Detroit advanced to the AL Division Series each time. In two career starts against the Braves, Skubal is 0-1 with a 4.91 ERA over 11 innings, including a seven-inning start in April this season when he gave up two runs on five hits in a no-decision for the Tigers. After earning the win in both Games 6 and 7 of the World Series lasts season, Yamamoto went 14-9 with a 2.53 ERA in 28 starts this season. The right-hander pitched multiple innings in a Dodgers simulated game Wednesday.