The Wild Card series is looming, but the Dodgers still don’t know who they’ll play. It’ll be either the New York Mets or the Cincinnati Reds, and the Reds win that tiebreaker if needed. What can we expect from each potential opponent?
New York Mets (4-3 vs the Dodgers)
The Mets have had the slight advantage over the Dodgers this season, so a potential series would start in New York. That’s a big advantage for a team with the Mets’ reputation.
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“They have some great players over there,” Michael Conforto said in June. “Their pitching staff is one of the best, if not the best in the league.”
That pitching—along with defense—has left something to be desired lately, though. In last night’s game against the Miami Marlins, the Mets let a few stolen bases and five runs go by in the fifth inning, ultimately losing the game and the ability to determine their own playoff fate.
Offense is another story. After that June series, Sonja Chen at MLB.com called out one of the Dodgers’ biggest challenges when facing the Mets: Pete Alonso, who drove in 10 runs against the Dodgers this season alone. Juan Soto also performed well, with six RBI in six games, and he hasn’t slowed down much since. Soto joined the 30-30 club this season alongside teammate Francisco Lindor, making them the third pair of teammates in MLB history to rack up 30 steals and 30 homers each in the same season, according to Andrew Battifarano at the New York Post.
Cincinnati Reds (1-5 vs the Dodgers)
The Reds managed to stay unswept this season until they met the Dodgers for a series in late August, when the Dodgers put up 18 runs against them. That’s surprising, given how touch-and-go their offense has been this year. The team is tied for 19th in the league when it comes to hits, sitting closer to the middle of the pack at 16th in RBI.
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The Cincinnati bullpen is looking fantastic, though, going 4 1/3 scoreless innings to secure a win last night in a continuation of their trend towards success.
“They’re the reason we’re here,” Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson said. “Just having those guys who can go multiple innings is huge this late in the year. Every single one of those guys wants the ball right now. They’re ready.”
That bullpen could spell trouble for the Dodgers, who have also had their hot-and-cold streaks at the plate this season and a notoriously iffy bullpen of their own.