Tarik Skubal Draws Jacob Misiorowski in NLCS Game 1 as the Dodgers Hand Yoshinobu Yamamoto Game 2

The Los Angeles Dodgers made it official on Friday: Tarik Skubal will start Game 1 of the National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday at American Family Field, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start Game 2 on Monday. Manager Dave Roberts announced the order after the club's workout, per MLB.com and the Associated Press. Milwaukee counters with Jacob Misiorowski in Game 1 and is expected to follow with rookie right-hander Logan Henderson in Game 2.

That settles the question that hung over the series since both clubs finished their Division Series on Wednesday night. There had been reporting that Roberts might flip his two aces and give Yamamoto the Misiorowski matchup. He did not. Game 1 is a lefty-righty duel between the two best pitchers in the series, with first pitch at 5 p.m. PT (8 p.m. ET) on FOX.

Why the Dodgers went Skubal first

Rest drove the decision. Skubal started Game 1 of the NLDS on Oct. 3 and has the most recovery time of any Dodgers starter. In that outing he held Atlanta to one run on two hits over six innings in 100-degree heat at Dodger Stadium, striking out seven and walking two on 94 pitches in a 5-3 win, per SI and the AP. Yamamoto threw more than 90 pitches in his Game 3 gem against Chris Sale, and the extra day lets the club give him a full turn before facing Milwaukee.

The order also has a downstream effect. Skubal on regular rest would be lined up for a potential Game 5 at Dodger Stadium, and Yamamoto for a potential Game 6 in Milwaukee. Roberts has not named starters for Games 3 and 4, but reporting from Dodgers beat outlets points to Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow filling those two spots in some order. Glasnow started the NLDS clincher in Atlanta.

Skubal is the reason this Dodgers rotation looks different from last October's. The back-to-back American League Cy Young winner came over from Detroit at the trade deadline, and he gives Los Angeles a second true ace alongside Yamamoto to open the series.

The Milwaukee side

Misiorowski is the best regular-season pitcher in the field. He went 16-5 with a 1.80 ERA and 252 strikeouts over 174 2/3 innings, leading the majors in ERA and strikeouts, and he is on full rest because Milwaukee closed out San Diego in four games and never needed him for a Game 5. MLB.com noted that last October he was a rookie still searching for consistency late in the season. This time he enters as the National League's Cy Young favorite.

Henderson is the less familiar name. He went 11-3 with a 2.47 ERA and 110 strikeouts across 98 1/3 innings in a breakout season, and MLB.com noted he did not allow more than three runs in any outing. The Brewers had not formally announced him for Game 2 as of Friday, so treat it as the expected plan rather than a lock.

The Brewers' bullpen is their structural edge. Milwaukee finished the regular season with one of the three best relief ERAs in the league, and DL Hall has moved into high-leverage work in recent weeks, per MLB.com. Robert Gasser and Aaron Ashby combined for seven innings in the Game 4 clincher at Petco Park, and Trevor Megill closed it. Behind the top two starters, though, Milwaukee will be asking that group to cover a lot of innings.

How the market priced the confirmation

Game 1 is about as close to even as a postseason game gets. Opening prices made Milwaukee a slight home favorite, per SI's betting desk, and several books have since hung the game near a pick'em, with FanDuel listing both sides at -110 in early trading. The total sits at 6 to 6.5 runs, one of the lowest numbers of the postseason, which tells you how the market reads a Skubal-Misiorowski matchup.

The series price has not moved much on the announcement. Los Angeles remains the favorite at roughly -160 to -170 depending on the book, with Milwaukee in the +130 to +160 range. That is the same shape as earlier in the week: the market treats Game 1 as a coin flip and then charges for the Dodgers' depth over a seven-game series.

For bettors, the interesting split is between Game 1 and Game 2. The Game 1 price already reflects two aces. Game 2 is where the Dodgers' rotation edge on paper shows up, Yamamoto against a rookie in his first NLCS start, and that number should open with Los Angeles favored even on the road. Verdexed's full model call on both games lives at /mlb/predictions, and the latest daily board is at /blog/mlb-picks-2026-10-10.

Fantasy and DFS: what changes with Skubal confirmed

Sunday is a one-game slate, so ownership will be concentrated on the two starters. Both are viable, and the low total argues for playing at least one. Misiorowski at home has the higher strikeout ceiling given his season, while Skubal faces a Milwaukee lineup that scored just four runs in four games against the Dodgers last October. In single-game formats, rostering both starters and filling around them with hitters who have platoon advantages is a reasonable default.

The platoon edge matters more now that Skubal is confirmed. Milwaukee's right-handed bats, Jackson Chourio first among them, get the better side of the matchup. Chourio has been the Brewers' October engine: he walked off Mason Miller in NLDS Game 2 and set the franchise record for career postseason RBI in the clincher. He is the Milwaukee hitter to build around in Game 1.

On the Dodgers side, the left-handed bats face the tougher assignment against Misiorowski. Shohei Ohtani remains the contrarian swing: his ceiling is the highest of any hitter in the series, his Division Series was quiet, and that should keep his roster rate down on a slate where most players will lean on pitching. Andy Pages, whose bases-loaded single decided the NLDS clincher, and Max Muncy are cheaper ways to get Dodgers exposure.

What to watch Sunday night

Three things will shape how the rest of the series is priced. First, pitch counts. Skubal threw 94 pitches in his last start and Misiorowski is on full rest; whichever bullpen enters first will be under more pressure in a series with only one off day in the first five games. Second, Milwaukee's contact quality against left-handed pitching, since the Dodgers also have Snell lined up for one of the Los Angeles games. Third, Ohtani's placement in the order, which Roberts moved around during the NLDS.

What's next

NLCS rosters are due before Sunday's first pitch, and they will show how many relievers each manager trusts. Milwaukee is expected to confirm Henderson for Game 2, and Roberts should name his Game 3 starter after Monday's game. The series shifts to Dodger Stadium on Wednesday.

For anyone holding a series ticket, Game 1 is the leverage game. A Brewers win behind Misiorowski would flip home-field math and pressure the Dodgers to win both games in Los Angeles with their No. 3 and No. 4 starters. A Dodgers win would put Yamamoto in position to leave Milwaukee with a 2-0 lead. Either way, the line on Monday will move hard off Sunday's result.