The Dodgers’ quest for the first back-to-back World Series titles in franchise history begins with a best-of-three Wild Card Series against the Cincinnati Reds.
All games in the series will be at Dodger Stadium, starting Tuesday.
Here’s what to know about the series and the MLB postseason.
How they got here
The Dodgers finished 93-69 with some struggles down the stretch that relegated the defending World Series champs to a No. 3 seed in the National League and wild card status. The team still won its 12th National League West title in 13 seasons and can turn to Shohei Ohtani on the mound after he was limited by injury to designated hitter last season.
The Dodgers finished with the third-best record in the National League. The Phillies (96-66) and Brewers (97-65) had the two best records in the NL, earning byes to the Division Series.
The Reds qualified for the final postseason spot with New York Mets’ 4-0 loss to the Miami Marlins Sunday, which ended the Mets’ chances of finishing the season with a better record than the Reds. Both teams finished the season 83-79, but Cincinnati received the National League’s third and final wild-card berth because it won the season series from New York, 4-2, the first tiebreaker.
The Reds lost to the Milwaukee Brewers, 4-2, in Milwaukee on Sunday, in a game completed 14 minutes before the Mets-Marlins game. The Reds have not been to the postseason after a 162-game season since 2013.
About the season series
The Dodgers were 5-1 against Cincinnati this season, including 3-0 at Dodger Stadium. Los Angeles swept the Reds in August. Cincinnati is 38-43 on the road this season.
“You don’t play the game on paper, so we’ve got to have that edge we’ve talked about,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “They can pitch and they’re athletic. They’ve got a great manager who’s won a couple championships. We’ve got to be ready, and we are ready.”
Dodgers-Reds series schedule
The entire best-of-three series will be played at Dodger Stadium and be televised on ESPN.
Game 1: Tuesday, 6:08 p.m.
Game 2: Wednesday, 6:08 p.m.
Game 3 (If necessary): Thursday, 6:08 p.m., but would move to 4:38 p.m. if two or three of the other series end in sweeps.
The winner will advance to face the Eastern Division champion Phillies.
Projected starters
The Dodgers will likely send Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani to the mound. Snell did not face the Reds this season. Yamamoto allowed one run and four hits with two walks and nine strikeouts in a 5-2 win July 28 over Cincinnati. The Red and Dodgers split two games that Ohtani started. On July 30 at Great American Ball Park, the two-way superstar pitched three-plus innings and yielded two runs on five hits and two walks with four strikeouts. On August 27, Ohtani pitched five innings and allowed one run and two hits with two walks and nine strikeouts in a 5-1 Dodgers victory.
Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott and Nick Lodolo are likely starters for the Reds.
About the MLB playoff format
There are 12 teams that make the postseason, including six teams from both the AL and NL. The three division winners in each league get seeds No. 1 through No. 3, ranked by win-loss record. The three wild-card teams get seeds No. 4 through No. 6, also ranked by win-loss record.
The top two teams with the best record in both the AL and NL automatically advance to the Division Series. The other eight teams play in the Wild Card Series. In both the AL and NL, the No. 6 seed will travel to face the No. 3 seed while the No. 5 seed goes to No. 4. The higher seed hosts all three games.
The winners then advance to the best-of-five Division Series, followed by the best-of-seven League Championship Series and a best-of-seven World Series between the winners of the AL and NL.
MLB postseason schedule
Wild Card Round: Sept. 30-Oct. 2 (ESPN)
Division Series: Oct. 4-11 (NL on TBS, AL on FOX/FS1)
Championship Series: Oct. 12-21 (NL on TBS, AL on FOX/FS1)
World Series: Oct. 24-Nov. 1 (FOX)
Allison Craig is a passionate sports writer and analyst with a deep love for game strategies, player performances, and the latest trends in the sports world. With years of experience covering football, basketball, tennis, and more, she delivers insightful analysis and engaging content for sports enthusiasts.
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