Friday, October 3, 2025

Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2025

Okay, the Los Angeles Dodgers swept the Cincinnati Reds, a team that didn’t belong in the postseason, in the National League Wild Card series. If the New York Mets hadn’t collapsed, the Reds wouldn’t have touched the postseason.

Now, the Dodgers must play the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS, starting on Saturday. Ugh!

The last time the Dodgers faced the Phillies in the postseason, it ended badly for the Dodgers. The 2008 and 2009 losses damaged a whole generation of Dodger fans.

This year, the Dodgers won only two games against the Phillies. Their pitching couldn’t stop the powerful Phillies’ offense. Though the Dodgers hadn’t won a game against the Milwaukee Brewers this year, the Phillies worry me.

The Phillies have a great left-handed-dominated starting rotation. This year, the Dodgers’ offense has struggled against left-handed pitching. If Teoscar Hernàndez, Andy Pages, Kiké Hernàndez, and Alex Call can smash the lefties, the Dodgers will produce enough runs.

The elephant on the Dodger team is their bullpen. Undoubtedly, the bullpen has the necessary talent to retire any batter. However, some relievers don’t have the confidence to throw strikes. Walking batters won’t enable the Dodgers to beat the Phillies.

The Dodgers might have a secret weapon in the bullpen. Roki Sasaki. Sasaki had a rough first year until he was put into the bullpen. He has the best pure stuff in the Dodger bullpen. There are two potential problems with Sasaki. Can Sasaki handle the pressure of the NLDS? Also, Sasaki is a right-handed pitcher who must retire the left-handed-dominated Phillies’ lineup.

The Dodgers will #22 Clayton Kershaw in the bullpen. While Kershaw isn’t a reliever, he made his Hall of Fame career by hurling strikes. Since Kershaw has been in every situation in baseball, he won’t be rattled by the pressure.

To me, the Dodgers will win the NLDS because the Phillies don’t know how to handle the 5-day buy. The Dodgers have more experience in high-pressure moments during the season.