Forget about the $430-million payroll. Never mind the home field that now bears the name of a Japanese casual-wear retailer.
The Dodgers turned back the clock in their playoff opener on Saturday.
There was nothing fancy about their 5-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of their National League Division Series.
Just a starting pitcher mowing down hitter after hitter.
Pitching six innings and allowing one run, Tarik Skubal didn’t remain in the game long enough for his start to earn a place next to the greatest pitching performances in franchise history.
On this day, the trade-deadline acquisition wasn’t Sandy Koufax or Orel Hershiser.
But Skubal was a reminder of why the Dodgers won’t be an easy out for any team in this postseason.
He buys time for their offense.
The Dodgers’ offense was stalled early in the game, blanked over the first three innings by left-handed reliever Dylan Dodd, who was deployed as an opener by Braves manager Walt Weiss.
However, the Dodgers never looked as if they were threatened, as Skubal made easy work of the Braves.
Giving up a single to Drake Baldwin to start the game, Skubal went on to retire the next 15 batters, striking out seven and touching 101 mph along the way.
While Skubal was on that run, Freddie Freeman drew a walk in the fourth inning, which set up a two-run home run by Teoscar Hernandez.
Skubal gave up a leadoff homer to Sean Murphy that reduced the Dodgers’ lead to 2-1, but he managed to escape without taking any more damage in what turned out to be a two-walk inning.
The Dodgers increased their lead to 5-1 in the sixth inning when Kyle Tucker’s two-run homer was followed by Max Muncy’s solo shot.
The victory was resounding but nevertheless raised some concerns, particularly about the offense. Every one of their runs was a product of a home run. They were vulnerable against left-handers.
These problems could persist.
Which is why their starting pitching will be important. And just as Skubal kept the Braves in check until the Dodgers started scoring, Blake Snell will be counted on to do the same in Game 2 and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 3.
They won the World Series doing this last year, and if they win it again this year, they will likely have to do it like this again.
