The Philadelphia Phillies' NLDS matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers could be one for the ages. This postseason matchup is long overdue and the Dodgers figure to be the Phillies' biggest test this October. There's a good chance that whoever wins the series will represent the National League in the World Series.
The Phillies went 4-2 versus the Dodgers in the regular season, with three of the wins being in come-from-behind fashion against Los Angeles' bullpen. The defending champions' bullpen has repeatedly proven to be their largest flaw and could decide the series between the two heavyweights.
Phillies' offense needs to hit Dodgers' weak bullpen to win the NLDS
As a team, the Dodgers' regular season ERA this season was 3.95, tied for 16th in the league. That number is brought down by their 4.27 bullpen ERA, which ranked 10th-worst. Their relievers blew 27 saves despite entering the season with an intriguing group of arms in the bullpen, such as veteran free agent signings Kirby Yates and Tanner Scott.
No Dodgers reliever has been more disappointing in 2025 than the left-handed Scott, who entered the season with lofty expectations as the team's primary closer after signing a four-year, $72 million contract. Scott struggled to find his footing with his new team this season with a 4.72 ERA and 10 blown saves in 57 innings.
Scott is not the only notable Dodgers reliever to struggle this year. They have 11-year MLB veteran Blake Treinen posting a 5.40 ERA and recently blowing a game to the Phillies, which shows they already know how to beat the Dodgers' bullpen. They also hit left-handed specialist Alex Vesia around early in the season, with Nick Castellanos crushing a grand slam off him in April.
Nick Castellanos crushes a go-ahead grand slam! 🔔 pic.twitter.com/OHnFwRYol2
— MLB (@MLB) April 6, 2025
The Phillies were dominated by the Dodgers' starting pitching in their most recent series just a few weeks ago. Emmet Sheehan, Shohei Ohtani, and Blake Snell combined to allow only one earned run in 17 2/3 innings, yet the Phillies still were able to win the series. That's because they stayed in the games just long enough to face the Dodgers' lackluster 'pen.
Although it's dangerous to follow that same gameplan with both Ohtani and Snell sheduled to pitch this series, it's proven to be an effective one. In an effort to beef up their bullpen, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has been experimenting with starters Roki Sasaki and Clayton Kershaw pitching in relief late in the season.
It could be argued that the biggest matchup is Shohei Ohtani against Phillies pitching, as the Phillies have held the three-time MVP in check for his career. In 18 career games against the Phillies, Ohtani has just three home runs and is hitting .250, with a .217 clip this season. His numbers are even worse at Citizens Bank Park, where he's hitting an unbelievable .091 with no home runs in his career.
If they're once again able to hold Ohtani in check, Phillies pitchers will still have to find ways to get Mookie Betts and notorious Phillie killer Freddie Freeman out. If they're able to do that and scratch some runs off the Dodgers' bullpen, then they're in a great position to win the series.