Yoshinobu Yamamoto gets the ball for Game 2 as Dodgers aim to reset after dropping the opener

The Dodgers are heading into Game 2 of the NLCS with Yoshinobu Yamamoto set to start, a move that carries extra weight because of what the franchise already learned from a similar postseason script. According to MLB, the last time Los Angeles dropped the first game of a postseason series, Yamamoto responded by evening the matchup with a complete game effort.

That earlier postseason performance, as MLB frames it, did not just tie the series. It helped swing momentum toward a World Series that went the full distance, with Yamamoto earning the MVP in the championship run and the Dodgers ultimately hoisting the trophy for a second consecutive year.

If the Dodgers are pursuing a third straight title, the key question becomes whether they can recreate the same kind of response in the moments that follow a setback. Starting Yamamoto in Game 2 does not guarantee anything, but it puts a known postseason high-end starter on the mound at the exact time a series can turn from “digging out” to “reasserting control.”

This is especially notable because the context MLB highlights is not only about Yamamoto’s individual résumé, but about how the Dodgers tend to manage a series after the first loss. The franchise has used postseason starts as turning points, and this Game 2 decision is built around that idea: stabilize early innings, manage a full-game workload when possible, and give the lineup a chance to build from a lead or even a tie.

The opponent matters as well. The Dodgers’ Game 2 starter will face the Brewers, setting up a matchup where each team’s pitching plan can shape the rest of the series. With Yamamoto as the Dodgers’ choice, Los Angeles is effectively prioritizing run prevention and innings control, options that tend to matter most in high-leverage playoff games.

As the NLCS moves to Game 2, the Dodgers’ fans will also be watching for how their bullpen and defensive alignment hold up against the Brewers once Yamamoto’s outing nears its end. Even when a starter is effective, postseason timing is everything, because a late-inning swing can decide a game without giving either side much margin for error.

What to watch next is whether Yamamoto can deliver the same kind of decisive, full-game posture that MLB linked to the Dodgers’ prior “down 1-0” postseason scenario. If he does, Los Angeles would be positioned to shift the series dynamic quickly, turning a first-game hurdle into a longer, more comfortable path toward the finish line.