Reigning Dodgers hosting pitching-led Reds in wild-card series

LOS ANGELES -- The defending-champion Los Angeles Dodgers will take the long road when the playoffs begin Tuesday, while the visiting Cincinnati Reds are making just their second postseason appearance in 12 years.

The Dodgers won the National League West for the 12th time in 13 seasons and yet open their playoff run in the wild-card round for the first time since 2021.

The Reds lost in the wild-card round in both the expanded playoffs of 2020 and 2013, going a combined 0-3 in those years. They have not won a playoff game since their appearance in the 2012 NL Division Series.

Los Angeles will open Game 1 with left-hander Blake Snell, who was 5-4 with a 2.35 ERA in the regular season. Cincinnati will counter with a Los Angeles-area native in right-hander Hunter Greene (7-4, 2.76), who was key in the Reds' September push to the playoffs.

Snell is 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA in two career starts against the Reds, including a no-hitter last season when he was with the San Francisco Giants.

"It was so long ago. They've changed, I've changed, a lot has changed," said Snell, who is headed toward his first postseason start since 2022 with the San Diego Padres. "And this is a postseason game, so the stakes are higher. It's going to be a more exciting game. It will be a chess match. They have good hitters, guys who are hot. I'm excited to see how the matchup works out."

Snell will be backed by a shaky Dodgers bullpen, whose 4.27 ERA is better than only the New York Yankees' among playoff teams. The group has been especially concerning over the past two months, with both left-hander Tanner Scott and right-hander Blake Treinen pitching below expectations.

Starters Roki Sasaki, Emmet Sheehan and Tyler Glasnow are all set to pitch in relief in the series. Clayton Kershaw is not on the roster after he started the regular-season finale.

On offense, the Dodgers have come to life following some midseason struggles, with Shohei Ohtani leading the way with 55 home runs, 102 RBIs and an NL-best 1.014 OPS. Ohtani is also heading into his first postseason as a pitcher and is lined up for Game 3, if necessary.

Mookie Betts struggled most of the year and had a career-worst .732 OPS, but has hit six home runs with 23 RBIs in September. Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy (lower body soreness) said he is set to play after missing the final four games of the regular season, with catcher Will Smith (hand) still in question.

The Reds do not have the offense to match the Dodgers, finishing 10th in the NL with a .706 OPS. They were eighth in home runs at 167.

But Cincinnati is pitching as well as anybody with Greene and another LA-area native in left-hander Nick Lodolo leading the way, not to mention lefty starter Andrew Abbott. Greene is 1-3 with a 4.55 ERA in five career starts against Los Angeles.

The Cincinnati bullpen has been a strength behind Graham Ashcraft (3.99 ERA), Tony Santillan (2.44 ERA, seven saves) and Emilio Pagan (2.88 ERA, 32 saves).

The Reds clinched a playoff spot on the final day of the season despite a 4-2 loss at Milwaukee. The New York Mets' loss at Miami secured their spot by head-to-head tiebreaker.

"I really do stay in the moment. That's the best I know not to get derailed and to get productive. It just works the best," said veteran manager Terry Francona, who is in his first season with the Reds. "I've told the team that as long as we're going in the direction together, even sometimes when it's the wrong direction, we're doing it together. I always feel like we'll figure it out."

Cincinnati had not been swept in 43 consecutive series until losing all three games at Los Angeles from Aug. 25-27. The Dodgers went 5-1 in the season series.

--Doug Padilla, Field Level Media