San Diego Padres Reveal Probable Starting Pitchers For NLDS Games 1 and 2

Dylan Cease and Jack Flaherty are set to face off in Game 1 of the NLDS between the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers, while Yu Darvish and Yoshinobu Yamamoto will go head-to-head in Game 2.

Aug 17, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Dylan Cease (84) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The San Diego Padres have revealed their starting pitchers for Games 1 and 2 of the NLDS, as shared by 97.3 The Fan's Sammy Levitt on Thursday.

Dylan Cease will take the mound in Game 1, while Yu Darvish is slated to start Game 2. They will face off against Jack Flaherty and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, respectively, who the Los Angeles Dodgers announced as their first two starters on Wednesday.

Cease was scheduled for pitch in Game 3 of the NL Wild Card Series, but the Padres' sweep over the Atlanta Braves meant that contest was not necessary.

San Diego acquired Cease in a blockbuster trade with the Chicago White Sox back in March, adding the 2022 AL Cy Young runner-up to their rotation at the tail end of Spring Training. Cease went on to go 14-11 with a 3.47 ERA, 1.067 WHIP, 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings and a 4.2 WAR in the regular season, even tossing a no-hitter on July 25.

The 28-year-old right-hander owns a 10.13 ERA and 1.875 WHIP in his postseason career, but he hasn't appeared in a playoff game since 2021.

Darvish, like Cease, also didn't pitch in the NL Wild Card Series. While the 38-year-old righty only made 16 starts in 2024, he went 7-3 with a 3.31 ERA, 1.065 WHIP, 8.6 strikeouts per nine innings and a 2.0 WAR in those appearances.

The Padres went 2-2 in Darvish's four starts during the 2022 playoffs, when he posted a 2.88 ERA and 1.040 WHIP. In his postseason career, Darvish is 4-6 with a 4.19 ERA and 1.103 WHIP.

Probable starters this weekend in LA…

Padres:
Game 1 - RHP Dylan Cease
Game 2 - RHP Yu Darvish

Dodgers:
Game 1 - RHP Jack Flaherty
Game 2 - RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto

— Sammy Levitt (@SammyLev) October 3, 2024

Michael King and Joe Musgrove, who started for San Diego in the NL Wild Card Series, could round out the rest of the rotation after Cease and Darvish. Musgrove left Game 2 early with right elbow tightness, though, so the team could add Martín Pérez or Matt Waldron to the NLDS roster if needed.

This will mark the third time in five years that the two NL West foes will go head-to-head in the postseason. The Dodgers swept the Padres in the 2020 NLDS, but San Diego got its revenge by beating Los Angeles 3-1 in the 2022 NLDS.

First pitch for Game 1 of the 2024 NLDS is scheduled for 8:38 p.m. ET.

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