For the most part, things are going as expected for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
After fortifying a strong roster with the likes of Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Teoscar Hernández, the team entered the season with the best odds of winning the World Series. And now, in the final stretch of the season, they have clinched a playoff berth and hold the inside lane to a first-round bye.
But, assuming they do enter a seven-game National League Division Series (NLDS), injuries to their starting rotation could mean they will be counting on an untested contributor in a crucial spot.
“Four starters are probably a necessity the way the NLDS is set up,” Rowan Kavner noted for Fox Sports. “With the pieces currently available to them, that would leave Walker Buehler for Game 3 and Landon Knack for Game 4 with a cavalcade of bullpen arms ready to go quickly behind them.”
Yamamoto and trade deadline acquisition Jack Flaherty appear set to take the first two playoff starts for the Dodgers. But then their options get limited, potentially thrusting Knack — a rookie who has made just 11 big-league starts in his career — into the spotlight.
In those few starts, Knack has maintained a 3.39 ERA, with 61 strikeouts in 61 total innings. But it’s hard to say how he might fare on the biggest of stages.
If he does end up taking the mound, the Dodgers will surely be ready for the worst.
“At this point, Game 4 could mean throwing Knack on the hill and hoping the Dodgers offense can do enough damage to overcome any uncertainty of his outing,” Kavner’s colleague, Deesha Thosar, added.
At the beginning of the season, it might have been hard to believe that the Dodgers would face so much uncertainty in their playoff rotation. But Dustin May and Glasnow have been ruled out for the season with injuries, with Gavin Stone likely joining them. Franchise legend Clayton Kershaw is fighting his way back from the injured list, but it’s unclear if he’ll make an effective return. Bobby Miller was a presumptive rotation leader, but he’s been unable to command his pitches this season. Even Buehler, who seems set for a postseason start ahead of Knack, has been a question mark with a 5.63 ERA this season.
As a result, the Dodgers’ playoff journey is unlikely to go as expected in the preseason.
“When assessing the rotation, it’s easier to envision what might go wrong for the Dodgers than what might go right,” as Ken Rosenthal put it for The Athletic. “Creative paths to 27 outs likely will be necessary, adding to the pressure on manager Dave Roberts, whose decision-making in past Octobers has drawn scrutiny.”
More MLB: Astros blockbuster trade prize reveals wishlist for next contract
