The Milwaukee Brewers will face the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series without Christian Yelich in the starting lineup, according to multiple reports. Milwaukee is making a matchup-based decision against Dodgers left-hander Tarik Skubal.
New York Post reports Yelich, the Brewers’ designated hitter and newly named team captain, is out of the Game 1 lineup and could be used later as a pinch-hit option. The Athletic similarly says Yelich does not start, with Andrew Vaughn set to serve as designated hitter. Yahoo Sports also raises whether Yelich will be in the starting lineup, reflecting the same central question as the other outlets.
Across sources, the differing focus is mainly on Yelich’s possible role later in the game versus the confirmed planned starting spot for Milwaukee’s DH. All accounts tie the lineup change to the Brewers’ preference for a platoon/matchup advantage against Skubal.
