The Dodgers are sending Yoshinobu Yamamoto to the mound for Game 3 of the National League Championship Series at Truist Park in Atlanta, and that gives them exactly the kind of road answer they need after splitting the first two games.
Yamamoto has been as steady as it gets away from home in the last two postseasons. He has started four games and worked once in relief on the road over that stretch, allowing five total runs in 31 innings while striking out 30 and walking only four. The Dodgers won every one of those five games, and Yamamoto got the win in all four of his road starts during the 2025 postseason.
That track record matters even more with the series sitting at 1-1. The Dodgers are 9-1 in the 10 postseason games Yamamoto has pitched, with the lone loss coming in last year’s NLDS Game 3 at Dodger Stadium.
That start came with Los Angeles already up 2-0 in the series. This one is different.
Tuesday’s assignment comes with the Dodgers and their opponent deadlocked.
There’s also the larger Game 3 pattern to keep in mind. This is the ninth time in 14 years that the Dodgers’ best-of-five Division Series has been tied after two games during their run of consecutive postseason trips dating back to 2013. In those NLDS Game 3 matchups, the home team has gone 6-2, and the Game 3 winner has gone on to win four of the eight series.
The Dodgers’ history in those spots has swung across a long list of outcomes. They’ve been in tied Game 3s against the Braves, Cardinals, Mets, Nationals, Giants and Padres in the Division Series, along with a World Series and NLCS mix during this stretch. The full run of those games includes wins and losses in every possible setting, but the common thread is clear enough: Game 3 has usually told the story.
In Other News...
Braves May Have Exposed A Costly Dodgers NLDS Problem
Miguel Rojas exited Game 3 of the 2026 NLDS after fouling a pitch off himself in the eighth inning and feeling low back pain, a development the Dodgers confirmed on their official social media. The stopgap infielder had already appeared to be working through something earlier in the night, with his back first bothering him after he fielded a ground ball in the fifth inning.
For a Dodgers club trying to navigate October with as little disruption as possible, the timing is the real concern. If Rojas cannot continue in the series, Los Angeles may be forced to make a postseason roster change, a move that would test the teams infield depth at a point when every available defender matters even more. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Suddenly Face A Miguel Rojas Problem In The NLDS
Miguel Rojas night ended early in the Dodgers National League Division Series game against the Braves after he fouled off a pitch and started showing signs of discomfort with a low back injury. Tommy Edman came on as a pinch hitter in his place, leaving Los Angeles to sort through an immediate issue at a spot where Rojas has helped steady things throughout the postseason run.
The bigger concern now is what this means for the rest of the series, because the Dodgers do not yet know how available Rojas will be moving forward. Any lingering limitation could force roster and lineup adjustments at a critical point, and for a team trying to keep its infield options intact in October, even a short-term absence would matter. [Read more 🡒]
Dave Roberts Made One Dodgers Gamble Look Brilliant In Game 3
Dave Roberts spent Game 3 pushing the right buttons, and the Dodgers benefited from nearly every one of them. He shuffled the batting order and got Kike Hernandez into a spot where he could make an impact, then watched Hernandez deliver a key two-run homer that helped set the tone. It was the kind of lineup tweak that can look minor before first pitch and inspired once the game starts bending your way.
Roberts also managed the night with a steady hand on the mound, letting Yoshinobu Yamamoto work seven innings before turning to Tanner Scott and Edwin Diaz to close the door. The sequencing mattered as much as the names themselves, giving Los Angeles a cleaner path through the late innings and underscoring how much this team can gain when its manager is willing to be aggressive at the right moments. [Read more 🡒]