Analysis of MLB Wildcard Postseason Matchups
Bob Nightengale will classify each of the four wildcard matchups to begin the 2025 MLB postseason.
LOS ANGELES – It was a shot that left the shells behind by the Cincinnati Reds.
The ball went in at 100.4 mph.
It was sent at a spectacular 117.7 mph.
Shohei Ohtani circled the base and he was the first batter of the Los Angeles Dodgers night on Tuesday, but at that point the game was almost over.
And by the end of the night, the Dodgers had crushed the Reds 10-5 and hit five homers, including two Otani and outfielder Tescol Hernandez, who were checking the temperatures in Philadelphia. Why, they pack suitcases for a trip to play the Phillies in the National League Division Series soon.
Ah, certainly, we need to win two games in these three wildcard series, but in the way the Dodgers dominated the Reds in Game 1 in front of 50,555 at Dodger Stadium, they didn’t plan to make this the shortest series possible.
After three innings, the Dodgers knocked Reds ace Hunter Green out of the game, punishing him with three home runs, and Dodgers starter Blake Snell put on the pitching clinic.
The last time Snell faced the Reds was on August 2, 2024 with the San Francisco Giants, pitching his first career no hitter.
The Reds all produced one hit that night, attacking nine times in the first six innings.
Snell’s dominance over the Reds is so ridiculous that when the Reds finally snapped a 29 postseason scoreless streak, they were 42-1 against Snell, who returned to no hits.
This is the average batting of .029.
Snell pitched seven innings, giving up four hits and two runs on nine strikeouts, then pitched 91 pitches.
The Dodgers are hoping to send Yoshinobu Yamamoto against Red Starter Zack Rittel on Wednesday night to close the series and save Otani for Game 1 of the NL Division Series with the Phillies.
Of course, the Reds knew this was David vs. Goliath before the series began.
The Dodgers won the NL West title 12 times in 13 years, winning four pennants and two World Series championships during this stretch.
The Dodgers had six All-Stars in their starting lineup, one on the bench. There were three MVPs in the lineup, one of which didn’t create a playoff roster.
The Reds have one All-Star in their lineup, and the last MVP won an award 15 years ago and retired.
This is the Reds’ first postseason appearance in a full season since 2013. He hasn’t even won the Postseason Series since 1995.
The Dodgers have a luxurious tax salary of $416 million.
The Reds pays $119 million.
So, yes, you do math.
“I don’t know, I don’t think I’ve raised it all year round,” Reds manager Terry Francona said of their pay gaps. So you try not to make many of them.
“When the game starts, no one cares about what you’re making. That’s what I love about it. Let’s play baseball.”
Well, the Dodgers, with five players on the field making at least $20 million, did it and showed why they made a big dollar.
“That’s why I came here,” Snell said. “Get arriving in the postseason and see how good I can do… To face the best when the stakes are the best, that’s what I’ve always wanted.”
For Ohtani, he once again showed why his $700 million contract is worth everything. Since MLB began using Statcast in 2015, he not only produced the most intense Homer at 100 mph per hour, but also smacked a 454-foot homer mid-pavilion in six innings by right-handed Reeler Connor Phillips.
The Dodgers became the fifth team in postseason history, with two players producing a multi-homer game.
Calling “cockroaches” who can’t kill themselves, the Reds showed what would happen if they could at least enter the Dodgers bullpen, and were tied to a circle of decks until Jack Dreyer finally closed the door.
The Reds hope that their comeback bid will have a carryover that goes into Game 2, and the Dodgers want to believe that their bullpen misery is merely a blip.
In the meantime, this weekend’s forecast in Philadelphia is a refreshing 77 degrees without rain.
The Dodgers might want to pack sunscreen.
X: Follow NightEngale at @BignyEngale
The Reds pushed three runs to make it 10-5, loaded the base and tied it to the circle on the deck with just one in the top of the eighth. However, Jack Dreyer got Tyler Stevenson and Kebrian Hayes to escape the jam.
After giving up two runs at the top of the seventh, the Dodgers scored twice at the bottom of the frame, running on a slow error before winning a Ben Roat Bed RBI single.
Cincinnati got on the board at the seventh top in the RBI when Ellie de la Cruz hit an RBI groundout against Blake Snell to score with a Tyler Stevenson RBI double, reducing the Reds’ deficit to 8-2.
Snell comes after seven great innings, giving up four hits and two runs in a walk in the Dodgers’ first start of the postseason with nine strikeouts and one walk.
Shohei Ohtani, who took a 6-0 lead in six innings, crushed a 454-foot two-run home run from Connor Phillips in Cincinnati for his second home run.
The Dodgers are the fifth team to have two players each hit multiple home runs in the same postseason game, according to Sarah Langs.
Already a big hit in third place for the Dodgers’ four-run homer, Tecker Hernandez hit a solo homer on the opposing field from red’s reliever Scott Barlow at the bottom of the fifth, expanding the Dodgers’ lead to 6-0.
Reds ace Hunter Green was replaced by Scott Barlow to start four innings, ending Green’s postseason debut. The 26-year-old right-hander gave up six hits (three of which home runs) and five runs acquired, earning four strikeouts and two walks.
Last year’s World Series hero Tecker Hernandez hit a three-run homer from Hunter Green on the bottom for the third time, with Tommy Edman following on solo shots to extend the Dodgers’ lead to 5-0.
LOS ANGELES – Dodgers MVP shoe, hei ohtani, who played one healthy shoulder in the World Series last year, reminded everyone that this postseason can be done when he’s healthy.
Otani jumped to the Cincinnati Reds’ Ace Hunter Green’s 100 mph fastball and sent it to the right field pavilion moving 117.7 mph from his bat in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series.
Blake Snell hit Red’s leadoff hitter TJ Friedle to start Game 1 at Dodger Stadium. Snell played in his 13th career postseason, pitching the Rays and Padres for 48 seconds innings or Rays.
- Shohei Olytani (L)d
- Mookie Betts(R)ss
- Freddie Freeman (L) 1b
- Max Muncy (L) 3b
- Teoscar Hernández (R)RF
- Tommy Edman (s) 2b
- Andy Pages(r)cf
- Enrique Hernández (r) lf
- Ben Rortvedt (L)c
- TJ Friedl (L)Cf
- Noelvi Marte (R)RF
- Miguel Andujar(R)DH
- Austin Hayes (R) LF
- Spencer Steer (R) 1b
- Elly from Cruz(S)SS
- Tyler Stevenson (R)c
- Ke’bryan Hayes (R) 3b
- Matt McLain(R)2b
