The Dodgers are back in the NLCS, but the calendar did them no favors this time.
After earning the No. 2 seed in the National League and a first-round bye, Los Angeles handled the Atlanta Braves in four games in the NLDS and now turns to a rematch with the Milwaukee Brewers. The club has also gotten healthier at the right moment, even if Shohei Ohtani will not pitch again this season. The rotation still has plenty of firepower, with Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow fronting the staff.
The catch for Dodgers fans is the schedule.
MLB released the NLCS times Thursday, as reported by Jack Harris of the California Post, and Game 2 in Milwaukee on Monday is the roughest one on the board. That game will start at 2 p.m.
PT, which means a mid-workday first pitch for fans on the West Coast. It opens at 4 p.m. local time, which is better for Milwaukee, but still not exactly a dream slot.
The explanation is simple enough: the ALCS begins that Monday night, and that series gets the prime-time window.
But the rest of the schedule doesn’t get much kinder. Every other listed start time lands at 5 or 6 p.m.
PT, and five of the seven possible games are set for weekdays. For the three games in Los Angeles, Game 3 is scheduled for 5 p.m. local time, while Games 4 and 5 are both set for 6 p.m.
It’s the latest reminder that MLB’s postseason timing has become a recurring sore spot for fans, especially since the playoff field expanded in 2022. Weekday afternoon and early-evening starts have become standard in October, and there’s been talk that the issue could come up in this offseason’s collective bargaining agreement negotiations.
For now, the Dodgers and Brewers will play when the league says they will. Game 1 is set for Sunday night, and pitching schedules for the series have not yet been announced.
In Other News...
Dodgers Still Have One Huge Shohei Ohtani Problem In October
Shohei Ohtanis October start with the Dodgers has not looked much like the middle of a postseason centerpiece. He has struggled at the plate in recent months, and the National League Division Series against the Braves offered more of the same, with Ohtani hitting .154 and driving in no runs. Even so, the Dodgers advanced to the National League Championship Series, which has bought them time to keep believing the offense from one of baseballs biggest stars will eventually show up when it matters most.
Dave Roberts and Andrew Friedman have both acknowledged the slump, but neither has sounded alarmed about where this could go from here. Their confidence is rooted in Ohtanis track record and the expectation that the bat will come around later in the postseason, which leaves the Dodgers in a familiar October spot: good enough to keep moving, but still waiting on the one player who can change the tone of the lineup in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Fans Have A New October Debate After Beating Atlanta
The Dodgers NLDS win over Atlanta gave fans plenty to dissect, and the conversation quickly turned to who stood out most in October. In a postseason series that featured multiple big performances, Los Angeles supporters weighed a dominant outing from Yoshinobu Yamamoto against the kind of all-around impact that Max Muncy brought with his power at the plate and his work in the field.
Yamamoto emerged as the fan favorite in a poll for NLDS MVP, with Muncy and Freddie Freeman also drawing support. The results say plenty about how Dodgers fans viewed the series: one camp leaned into the significance of Yamamotos Game 3 brilliance, while another saw Muncys three home runs and defensive value as just as central to the advance, setting up a familiar October debate as the club moves on. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Finally Know When Their Brewers Showdown Will Begin
Major League Baseball has set the stage for the 2024 League Championship Series, giving the Dodgers a date and a destination for the next step in October. The National League Championship Series opens Sunday, Oct. 11, and the American League Championship Series follows on Monday, Oct. 12, with the league also laying out the rest of the potential schedule and the broadcast homes for both rounds.
For the Dodgers, the new calendar means the wait is nearly over as they prepare for a trip to Milwaukee and a Brewers team that earned home-field advantage with a huge regular season. The full rhythm of the series is now in place, including possible game dates stretching deeper into the week, but the real answer fans care about is still ahead: how this matchup unfolds once the first pitch arrives. [Read more 🡒]