In a display of postseason dominance that felt almost inevitable, the Los Angeles Dodgers dispatched the Cincinnati Reds 8-4 on Wednesday night, completing a swift two-game sweep in the National League Wild Card Series. The victory sends the Dodgers marching into the Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, where old rivalries could reignite with fresh intensity. Indeed, for the Reds, it was a bitter end to a gritty September surge that had briefly fueled playoff hopes, only to crash against the Dodgers' relentless firepower.
Game 1 on Tuesday had set the tone, with the Dodgers erupting for a 10-5 win behind a barrage of five home runs. Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernández each went deep twice, their blasts punctuating a night where Blake Snell, in his Dodgers playoff debut, silenced Cincinnati's bats for seven strong innings, allowing just two runs. The Reds managed to claw back with some timely hits, but it wasn't enough against a lineup that seemed to feast on every mistake. Manager Dave Roberts later called it "the kind of start we needed," though one couldn't help but sense the underlying pressure of living up to expectations in a town that demands championships.
Wednesday's finale brought more of the same uneven rhythm for Cincinnati. Starter Nick Lodolo held the line early, but the Dodgers chipped away, building an 8-4 lead by the middle innings. Hernández added another homer, while the bullpen—bolstered by Blake Treinen's steady arm—slammed the door shut. For the Reds, players like Nick Martinez showed flashes of fight, but the overall effort exposed their inexperience against a juggernaut. The final scoreline, however, belied the tension; a late Reds rally fizzled, leaving fans in Great American Ball Park to wonder what might have been.
Now, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto potentially rejoining the rotation after his injury-plagued season, the Dodgers turn their gaze eastward. Their record stands at a imposing 98-64, but playoffs are a different beast. As Roberts preps for Philly, the question lingers: can this star-studded squad finally deliver the ring that has eluded them in recent years?