2025 Postseason: Dodgers host the surprise Reds in the Wild Card
by Megan Garcia
It took until Sunday’s final pitch for the Dodgers to know their opponent in the National League Wild Card Series. It’ll be the Reds, who stormed past expectations to clinch that final spot out of the shadows of the NL Central.
The winner will advance to the Division Series against the Phillies on Saturday in Philadelphia.
This will be the second time these two teams face each other in the postseason. Their first October meeting was in the 1995 NLDS when the Dodgers were swept by the Reds.
Things have changed in 30 years.
The Dodgers are the reigning World Series champions. This is the Reds’ first postseason appearance since 2020.
This season:
The Dodgers went 5–1 against Cincinnati this season — capped off with a series sweep between Aug. 25 and Aug. 27 at Dodger Stadium. They were the first team to sweep the Reds.
The Dodgers outscored the Reds 30–15 during the season and slashed 264/.345/.433/.778 in those games. Dodger starting pitchers posted a 2.61 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 31 innings against the Reds.
Recently …
Before Sept. 7, the Dodgers had lost five consecutive games and were losing ground of their first-place standing. The Reds were five games out of the third Wild Card spot.
The Dodgers went 15–5 over their final 20 games. The starting rotation was a big key in the turning things around.
Their 1.56 ERA was the best in baseball in that stretch with a 0.90 WHIP (second-best).
The Dodger offense also started clicking at that time. Their .259 batting average. 801 OPS and 111 runs ranked second in the Majors from Sept. 7 on and their 38 home runs and .480 slugging percentage led the Majors.
On the flip side, the Reds took advantage of the Mets who couldn’t find stable ground in the Wild Card hunt.
The Reds scored 72 runs over their final 20 games and their .663 OPS ranked 21st. Their starting pitchers had a 3.52 ERA and 1.00 WHIP (fourth in the Majors) during that stretch.
Strength vs. Strength
The Dodgers have the luxury of having multiple choices for Game 1 starter.
If it’s Blake Snell for Game 1, that potentially could make him available for two starts if the Dodgers reach the NL Division Series against the Phillies.
Dodger starters in September:
- Snell: 2.25 ERA in 24 innings
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto: 0.67 ERA in 27 innings
- Shohei Ohtani: 0.00 ERA in 14 2/3 innings
Andrew Abbott was the Reds’ best pitcher over the course of the season with a 2.87 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 29 starts.
Abbott started on Saturday. Right-hander Hunter Greene is rested. He last started on Wednesday.
Greene had a 2.64 ERA in September and struck out 38 batters in 30 2/3 innings.
2025 Postseason: Dodgers host the surprise Reds was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.