The Dodgers are in the Wild Card round for the first time since the best-of-three format was adopted in 2022. While the joy of making it is on one side, the kind of pressure that comes with October baseball is high, so much so that one mistake can completely flip the script. In that high-pressure situation, Dave Roberts has quietly come up with a plan on how to run his team, especially when it comes to future HOF Clayton Kershaw.

Kershaw pitched against the Mariners on Sunday, which Freeman called “the greatest pitcher of our generation.” The 37-year-old didn’t allow any runs in 5 1/3 innings. He gave up four singles and one walk while getting seven strikeouts, which made the crowd give him a standing ovation. Throughout the season, he has pitched about 112.2 innings and struck out 84 hitters in 23 games.

Emphasizing exactly that, Roberts was asked whether he would pitch in the Wild Card. The 53-year-old told the press that the Claw won’t be on the Dodgers’ Wild Card roster, even though he has performed well so far. “He threw yesterday a full ramp up, so he’s not going to be on this roster,” the skipper informed. “If we are fortunate enough, he will be on the DS roster, yes,” he added when asked about his position for the Division Series.

The Dodgers are positioning Clayton Kershaw for maximum impact later in October, building his arm strength and innings tolerance. Roberts himself acknowledged the flexibility Kershaw brings to the postseason equation.

“I can see him starting a game. I can see him coming in for a short burst. I can see him in long relief,” the manager said of Kershaw. This season has already showcased Clayton Kershaw’s willingness to adapt—he worked out of the bullpen when the team needed versatility. In a tense 11-inning thriller against the D-backs at Chase Field, Roberts deployed seven relievers, including Kershaw, as the Dodgers scratched out a 5-4 win that lowered their NL West magic number to one. ‘The Claw’ embraced the unfamiliar relief role without hesitation.

As October unfolds, that flexibility to change could be the Dodgers’ secret weapon. Roberts isn’t putting Clayton Kershaw in a box. He is keeping his options open. So, the question is, if not him, then who will be in the rotation?

The blueprint of who takes each game for L.A.?

Bob Nightengale says that the Dodgers’ anticipated pitching rotation for the Wild Card Series has Blake Snell throwing in Game 1. Snell, a left-handed pitcher, starts the series to set the tone for Los Angeles in this short, high-stakes game.

The Dodgers plan to give the ball to Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 2, hoping that his consistency and durability will keep them in the game. And for Game 3, Roberts has a game plan. The manager said that Shohei Ohtani will “probably” be the starting pitcher if a Game 3 is needed to decide the series. If the Dodgers win, then the two-way star might pitch in the first game of the Division Series sooner, depending on how the playoffs go.

The Dodgers might use different bullpen pitchers between those starts and change things up, depending on who they’re playing. They made this roster flexible on purpose so that it can handle changing situations. Emmet Sheehan and Tyler Glasnow are ready to pitch in relief during the Wild Card series, which will provide the bullpen more depth. Roki Sasaki has also bounced back, with his fastball speed returning and good performances in limited stints out of the bullpen in the last several weeks.

The Dodgers’ use of Snell, Yamamoto, and Ohtani in that order keeps Clayton Kershaw’s chances of being a relief or depth option in the postseason alive until later in October. Do you think that such an arrangement works? Let us know in the comments.