The Los Angeles Dodgers look to defend their World Series Title starting this Tuesday. They host the Cincinnati Reds in Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series.
The Dodgers once again won the National League West division for the 12th time in 13 seasons, their only miss coming in 2021 when the San Francisco Giants finished atop the division. Surprisingly, they open their run this year in a wild-card series, only the third in franchise history.
The Reds made their way back into the playoffs for the first time since 2020 under first-year manager Terry Francona, who led them to a 83-79 record.
The Dodgers have faced off against the Reds twice this season, sweeping in a series and winning five of six games.
Tuesday opens with left-handed Blake Snell as the starting pitcher. Snell is experienced in the postseason, with a 3.33 earned run average and a high strikeout rate of 11.28 strikeouts per nine innings. On top of this, being a left-handed pitcher gives the Dodgers an advantage as the Reds have not performed well this season against left handed pitchers, posting a .229 batting average and a .625 on-base plus slugging.
The Reds will counter with right-handed pitcher Hunter Greene, who was 7-4 with a 2.76 ERA in the regular season.
Game 2 looks to open with talented right-hand pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who has been putting up stellar numbers throughout the season with a 2.49 ERA while striking out 201 batters in the regular season.
The two concerns surrounding the Dodgers as they head into their first two games include an inconsistent bullpen and shaky offense. The bullpen holds a poor 4.27 ERA, the second highest of the teams in the playoffs. LA has concern with their bullpen as left-hander Tanner Scott and right-hander Blake Treinen have pitched below expectations in the last two months.
Offensively, the Dodgers have struggled. Mookie Betts has had a rough season, a career worst of .732 OPS. Injuries on and off the field, like those of third baseman Max Muncy and catcher Will Smith, have also prevented the Dodgers from staying consistent. Designated hitter and pitcher Shohei Ohtani currently leads the way with 55 home runs and an NL-best 1.014 OPS.
On paper, the Reds do not have an offense that could match the Dodgers, as they finished 10th in the NL with a .706 OPS and landed eighth in home runs at 167. The first game on the series kicks off on Tuesday at 6 p.m.