A Date With The Defending Champs — NLDS Preview: Dodgers vs. Phillies, October 4-11

Playoff baseball is back in Philadelphia, and the Phillies have their hands full in the Divisional Series.

After securing the National League East division, the No. 2 seed in the National League playoffs, and a first-round bye, the Phillies are set to kick off their 2025 postseason against a juggernaut of an opponent. They’ll be taking on the defending World Series champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers, led by skipper Dave Roberts.

The Dodgers have been one of, if not the best, team in baseball over the past half-decade, winning two World Series in that time and making the playoffs every season. They’ve also made the playoffs every season since 2013, and have won their division 12 of the past 13 years.

Los Angeles is a powerhouse, and their team this season is no different. They’re made up of some of the best players all across baseball, led by the definitive No. 1 player in the league in two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani. On top of that, they have future Hall of Famers Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts, as well as sluggers Teoscar Hernandez and Max Muncy, and playoff riser Tommy Edman.

This will be a heavyweight bout for the ages between these two teams, as many feel whoever wins this series will go on to represent the National League in the World Series. While there are still many more games to go until that’s decided, these two teams are going to battle, and it’s expected to be a good one between two of MLB’s best.

Getting To The Dodgers Bullpen

This series is going to be really simple for the Phillies to win. If they can get to the Dodgers’ bullpen early, then they should almost easily win this series. The Dodgers’ bullpen has been abysmal all year long, with closer Tanner Scott being the highlight of it all, blowing the most saves this season across all of baseball.

While Los Angeles may have the big bats and flashy starters, the one spot on their team that has struggled has been their bullpen. It was shown once again this past week, while they easily handled the Cincinnati Reds in the Wildcard round, winning 2-0, the ends of games were anything but easy.

In both games, the Dodgers went in front big thanks to their big bats. In Game 1, up eight runs that lead went away almost instantly, thanks to relievers Alex Vesia, Edgardo Henriquez, and Jack Dreyer not being able to find the zone. Same thing the next night, up 7-2 in the eighth, the lead went to three after the Reds put some hits together.

If the Phillies want to get after the Dodgers, getting past their starters is the way. They’ll see Ohtani in Game 1 of the series, and likely Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Games 2 and 3. Put up runs early with only help the Phillies as they can continue to add on as the game goes on. If they can force starters to be pulled, then the series should be Philadelphia’s for the taking.

Big Bats Have To Come Through

While getting to the bullpen is essential for the Phillies, this series is likely gonna come down to who’s top of the order is playing better and scoring more runs.

The Phillies bring a core of batting champion Trea Turner, potential MVP Kyle Schwarber, and former MVP and future Hall of Famer Bryce Harper. Those three guys will control how this offense plays in this series. If they don’t hit, the team will likely follow like seasons past, and they will likely not win.

All three have been playoff risers not only throughout their careers, but with the Phillies, and any three of them can be the guys that can flip a game on its head. They’re veterans of the game, they’re all top 30 players in baseball, and they are the core of what the team can do this postseason. Together, they make up 275 RBIs, 98 home runs, and 455 hits, and the Phillies are gonna need them to keep producing numbers like that if they want to win.

They make up the majority of the Phillies’ payroll, and now this is the time of year when they earn their money. While the rest of the Phillies’ offense will obviously have to produce, these three guys will be the key.

Can The Phillies Win Without Their Ace?

A big question that I feel many have ignored is whether this Phillies team can win not only this series but the World Series without their ace, Zack Wheeler.

Wheeler went down in August with a blood clot injury, forcing him to miss the remainder of the 2025 season. Wheeler has been the heart and soul of the Phillies’ pitching staff since joining them in 2020, and in the playoffs, it’s been no different.

In 12 career playoff games with the Phillies, Wheeler has tossed 70.1 innings, striking out 77 batters and posting a 2.18 ERA. Wheeler has allowed four earned runs or more only once in the postseason, and has allowed one run or less in five starts.

Whenever a big start was needed, Wheeler delivered, and now, for the first time since he joined the team, the Phillies will be without their. Thankfully for them, they’ve prepared, and the rest of the pitching staff have stepped up in his place.

Most notably, Cristopher Sanchez, who is likely to finish in the top three and possibly win the National League Cy Young voting. Sanchez is being called upon to be the team’s ace in October, and while he has shown in the regular season that he’s capable of handling the role, the postseason is a different story.

Leashes are shorter, and if he runs into trouble, Phillies manager Rob Thomson has been known to pull starters if he doesn’t think it’s the right spot for them. Behind Sanchez are fellow lefties Ranger Suarez and Jesus Luzardo, who both have been great down the stretch. They’ll both likely get starts as well this series, and they’ll need to bring the fire to combat the Dodgers’ starters.

Game Times and Broadcasts

Game 1: Saturday, October 4th, 6:38 p.m. ET, TBS, 94.1 WIP, WTTM 1680

Game 2: Monday, October 6th, 6:08 p.m. ET, TBS, 94.1 WIP, WTTM 1680

Game 3: Wednesday, October 8th, 9:08 p.m. ET, TBS, 94.1 WIP, WTTM 1680

Game 4 (if necessary): Thursday, October 9th, 6:08 p.m. ET, TBS, 1210 WHPT, WTTM 1680

Game 5 (if necessary): Saturday, October 11th, 8:08 p.m. ET, TBS, 94.1 WIP, WTTM 1680

Philly Sports Reports will be live an hour before each game on YouTube, X, and Facebook for the FOCO Pregame Show.

Probable Pitching Matchups

Game 1: Cristopher Sanchez (LHP, 13-5, 2.50 ERA) vs. Shohei Ohtani (RHP, 1-1, 2.87 ERA)

Game 2: Ranger Suarez (LHP, 12-8, 3.20 ERA) vs. Blake Snell (LHP, Playoffs: 1-0, 2.57 ERA)

Game 3: Jesus Luzardo (LHP, 15-7, 3.92 ERA) vs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (RHP, Playoffs: 1-0, 0.00 ERA)

Game 4 (if necessary): Cristopher Sanchez (LHP, 13-5, 2.50 ERA) vs. Shohei Ohtani (RHP, 1-1, 2.87 ERA)

Game 5 (if necessary): Ranger Suarez (LHP, 12-8, 3.20 ERA) vs. Blake Snell (LHP, Playoffs: 1-0, 2.57 ERA)

By The Numbers

• Records
  • Phillies: 96-66
  • Dodgers: 93-69 / 2-0
• Run Differential
  • Phillies: 130
  • Dodgers: 142 / 9
• Runs Scored Per Game
  • Phillies: 4.80
  • Dodgers: 5.09 / 9
• Runs Allowed Per Game
  • Phillies: 4.00
  • Dodgers: 4.22 / 4.5

Get new articles emailed right to your inbox.