Dodgers Yoshinobu Yamamoto plan could cost them in NLCS vs. Mets

The Los Angeles Dodgers punched their ticket to the NLCS by recording a 2-0 win in Game 5 of the NLDS. They shut out the San Diego Padres for a second consecutive game, and have a matchup against the red-hot New York Mets on deck with a trip to the World Series on the line.

Home runs off the bat of Kiké Hernandez and Teoscar Hernandez helped immensely, as did four scoreless innings in relief from the Dodgers' bullpen in that winner-take-all Game 5, but the story of the night was Yoshinobu Yamamoto who threw five shutout innings in the victory. Yamamoto got shelled in the opener of the series, but came back in Game 5 to show the MLB world why he got the massive contract that he did over the offseason.

Yamamoto having to pitch in that Game 5 made it certain that he wouldn't be available for the first couple of games of the NLCS. While the Dodgers will take being in the NLCS without Yamamoto being available for the first couple of games over being eliminated, obviously, their plans involving Yamamoto in the NLCS undoubtedly worsen their odds.

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Yoshinobu Yamamoto usage plan could haunt the Dodgers in NLCS vs. Mets

Yamamoto pitching in Game 5 of the NLDS would theoretically have him available five days later for Game 3 of the NLCS. That will not be the case, though. The Dodgers want Yamamoto to get his usual five days of rest (one additional day than most MLB pitchers), and that will bump him to Game 4.

Pitching in Game 3 or 4 isn't much of a difference in the NLCS since both games will be played no matter what, but this decision to keep Yamamoto on his normal five-days-of-rest schedule means that he'll only pitch once in this series. With where the Dodgers pitching is right now, that's a problem.

Jack Flaherty, the team's Game 1 starter, will pitch the opener and in Game 5. The Dodgers haven't announced their Game 2 starter, but it will presumably be Walker Buehler. That same Walker Buehler who allowed six runs in five innings in Game 3 of the NLDS and has looked like a shell of his former self. Buehler will also presumably pitch a potential Game 6. As for the other games, who knows?

Landon Knack is on their roster, perhaps he'll be asked to start a game. The Dodgers could go with a bullpen game, but it's a lot harder to do that twice in a seven-game series.

On one hand, giving Yamamoto his usual extra day of rest is smart. He only pitched when given five or more days of rest in the regular season, so he's used to this. Additionally, by giving Yamamoto his normal rest, the Dodgers have reason to expect that he'd pitch quite well in Game 4. The fact that they have him locked in through the 2035 campaign undoubtedly plays a role here, too.

However, while there's merit to using Yamamoto when he's most comfortable, the lack of an alternative could be what costs the Dodgers. Even if Yamamoto isn't at his complete best on four days of rest, wouldn't he be better than Knack or a bullpen game? Giving Yamamoto four days of rest instead of five would've made it possible to use him in a possible Game 7 as well.

The postseason is a time for pitchers to get uncomfortable. The Dodgers asked Evan Phillips to get five outs in the NLDS clincher. He did not do that once in the regular season. Freddie Freeman is playing on a badly sprained ankle. The Dodgers would benefit by getting to use Yamamoto more than once in a best-of-seven series.

Their Yamamoto usage could wind up working out extremely well. If they can find a way to beat the Mets in the NLCS with the right-hander only being needed once, then he'd be able to open the World Series for them and pitch multiple times. This decision could also end up biting them hard. What if the other options struggle? The Dodgers going home while only getting one game from their best pitcher would sting.