The Los Angeles Dodgers had a first-round bye after clinching a top-two seed in the National League postseason.
However, they’re back in action Saturday when the NLDS begins, hosting the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers will send left-handed ace Tarik Skubal to the mound for Game 1, while the Braves will start LHP Dylan Dodd in what will likely be a bullpen game after they emptied the tank in their Wild Card Series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Dodgers Announce Shohei Ohtani Move
Ahead of the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed the team’s starting lineup, and in an interesting move, Roberts decided to move superstar Shohei Ohtani out of his normal leadoff spot.
Mookie Betts will instead bat first in the order on Saturday, while Ohtani is slotted as the designated hitter and will hit second.
Here’s the full Dodgers lineup:
Via Underdog MLB: “Dodgers 10/3 M. Betts SS S. Ohtani DH W. Smith C F. Freeman 1B T. Hernández LF K. Tucker RF A. Pages CF M. Muncy 3B T. Edman 2B T. Skubal SP.”
Dodgers 10/3
M. Betts SS
S. Ohtani DH
W. Smith C
F. Freeman 1B
T. Hernández LF
K. Tucker RF
A. Pages CF
M. Muncy 3B
T. Edman 2BT. Skubal SP
— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) October 3, 2026
Ohtani’s 2026 Regular Season With Dodgers
While Ohtani’s regular season ended with an injury, he still put together another stellar All-Star season.
He appeared in 135 games and, across 523 at-bats, recorded 89 runs, 144 hits, 30 home runs and 81 RBIs while batting .275 with a .512 slugging percentage and a .889 OPS.
Ohtani didn’t pitch at all during the second half of the season, and it isn’t known if he’ll pitch in the playoffs. However, he made 14 starts this year and posted an 8-2 record with a 1.79 ERA across 85.2 innings.
Los Angeles Dodgers Announce Shohei Ohtani Move Before Braves Series