The Los Angeles Dodgers have finalized their starting-pitching plans for the first three games of their National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves. After announcing ace Tarik Skubal as the Game 1 starter on Friday, the Dodgers confirmed Saturday that southpaw Blake Snell will start Game 2 on Sunday, while righty Yoshinobu Yamamoto will take the mound for Game 3 Tuesday in Atlanta.

Skubal enters the series after recording a 2.61 ERA with 70 strikeouts across 62 innings for Los Angeles since the trade deadline. Manager Dave Roberts told the left-hander that he would start Game 1 a week ago, shortly after throwing seven scoreless innings on 75 pitches against the San Francisco Giants on September 25.

The decision to use Snell in Game 2 gives the Braves consecutive left-handed starters to begin the series. Atlanta hit .240/.300/.396 against left-handers during the regular season, with a 91 wRC+ that ranked 24th among the 30 MLB teams. The Braves production against southpaws declined further over the final two months, when they hit .238/.287/.383 with an 84 wRC+.

Snell has been particularly effective since returning from a lengthy injury absence. After beginning the season late because of shoulder fatigue and later spending three months on the injured list following elbow surgery, he has gone 4-0 with a 1.13 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 39.2 innings. He left his September 16 start with groin tightness but returned for his final regular-season start on September 26 and said he felt great entering the postseason.

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Yamamoto will now follow Snell in Game 3. He finished the 2026 regular season with a 2.53 ERA and 182 strikeouts over 185 innings in 28 starts. His ERA was 2.85 in 110.2 first-half innings before improving to 2.06 over 74.1 innings after the All-Star break.

Los Angeles also has a favorable statistical reason for sending Yamamoto to Atlanta. He posted a 1.77 ERA and 2.93 FIP in 12 road starts, compared with a 3.13 ERA and 3.65 FIP at home. Fourteen of his 20 home runs allowed came at Dodger Stadium.

The Game 3 assignment will allow Yamamoto to stick to his once-a-week routine after he threw extensively in Wednesday's simulated outing at the Dodgers' home ballpark. The arrangement could also benefit Los Angeles later in October, potentially allowing him to pitch Game 2 of the NL Championship Series on five days' rest if the Dodgers advance.