Jack Flaherty starts NLCS Game 5. Here is the Dodgers' current bullpen usage

For several days, all signs pointed to this, but the Dodgers didn't make it official until Thursday night: Jack Flaherty will face the Mets in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series on Friday afternoon, with the Dodgers just one win away from winning the pennant .

Flaherty will rest four days Friday after pitching seven scoreless innings and six strikeouts in Sunday night's series opener at Dodger Stadium. He was ready to make the start Friday, but the team wanted to see how the bullpen usage played out in the first two games at Citi Field before turning its full attention to Flaherty after the Game 4 win.

“He gives us the best chance to win tomorrow” manager Dave Roberts told reporters at Citi Field on Wednesday night. “We will have our entire squad behind him and we feel the urgency to win this game tomorrow.”

The Dodgers have won each of the last two games by eight runs, but each of those games was reasonably close until the team pulled away late. These insurance delays allowed two newcomers to take the last two wins. Ben Casparius threw two scoreless innings to end Game 3 and Edgardo Henriquez threw two scoreless innings to end Game 4, just 23 days after he was called up to the majors.

Blake Treinen got four outs in Game 4 after throwing a scoreless inning in Game 3. He is the only Dodger to pitch in both games in New York. That leaves a relatively rested group of relief pitchers, particularly the high-leverage arms, to support Flaherty.

Roberts said Wednesday that even Evan Phillips, who threw 34 pitches with four outs in Game 4, would be available to pitch in Game 5 on Friday if needed.

Game 5 on Friday is the final afternoon game of the NLCS, at least on the West Coast, with first pitch at 2:08 p.m. PT. The game will be televised by FS1.