Los Angeles dominated the Cincinnati Reds earlier this week in a not-so-close wild-card round. In the two games, the Dodgers outscored the Reds 18-9, with Blake Snell dealing in game one with seven innings pitched and nine strikeouts. Now, Saturday marks the first game to kick off the NLDS, where the Dodgers will play the presumably more formidable Philadelphia Phillies in what is likely to be a tense series.
The teams are close in their respective win-loss records: LA finishing 93-69, first in the NL West, while Philadelphia easily glided into their division’s first place with 96 wins and 66 losses. It’s clear both are all in, everything or nothing. You can’t win the Fall Classic every year.
Even examining this series position by position is an arduous undertaking. Philly’s defense is centered on JT Realmuto, while LA’s relies on Will Smith, both very good catchers with strong leadership. Shohei Ohtani (1-1, 2.87 ERA) will take the mound for his postseason pitching debut, battling Christoper Sánchez (13-5, 2.50 ERA) in this dual of pitchers. Offensively speaking, LA has an arguably stronger infield than Philadelphia, with Freddie Freeman at first, Tommy Edman at second, Mookie Betts at shortstop, and Max Muncy at third. Defensively speaking, Philly needs to rely on Sánchez’s greater reps and must steal plays down the middle, utilizing Trea Turner’s and Bryson Stott’s elite fielding and range (16 and 8 outs above average, respectively, both above the 90th percentile in all of the MLB).
LA’s 825 runs scored this season, compared to Philadelphia’s 778, further emphasizes this point. Philadelphia must steal easy base hits. The sheer power advantage the Dodgers possess with Ohtani (55 home runs), Andy Pages (27 home runs), and Teoscar Hernández (25 home runs) highlights the Phillies’ need for strong pitching, a worrisome fact given ace Zack Wheeler’s arm injury.
Payton Carlos, a student here at Eleanor Roosevelt High School, was interviewed and asked about the Dodgers’ overall profile this postseason.
“I think we have an okay shot because our bullpen isn’t that good right now, but our offense and defense are doing well,” Carlos said, regarding the Dodgers’ chances at taking the series. “I think Ohtani will start off the game strong, I’d say 6 or 7 innings.”
When asked who she thought would win, Carlos’s reply was, “I’m going to be biased and say Dodgers!”
Another student, Mackenzie Tobiassen, weighed in with her own thoughts.
“Oh, at least 90% [chance of Dodgers winning]. Their stats are better!” Tobiassen said.
When asked about Ohtani’s start, she added that, “It’s interesting, they’re definitely starting off with a bang, they’re showing off their power. But I feel like they’re wasting him because of all of the bigger and better teams they’ll play.
“They have at least a 70% chance of winning [the World Series]. I think they have a really big shot, but they need to pick their players correctly for each game.”
For one final interview, eSTEM student Nox Gaither gave his take.
“He [Ohtani] should be healed by now, I think he’s going to pull out an amazing performance. Probably four [innings pitched].
“I think they have a really good chance, especially with our star player hitting. I think Max Muncy will be able to pull out some good hits against the Phillies. We have a lot of lead pitchers and relievers who are pretty good.”
The confidence remains high this October, a testament to the faith of Dodger fans. America is tuned in to an exciting series. May the best team win!
