In a decisive Game 2 that wrapped up the National League Wild Card Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers dispatched the Cincinnati Reds 8-4 on Wednesday night, securing a clean sweep and punching their ticket to the Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Dodgers, seeded as the top team in the NL, never really let the underdog Reds mount a serious threat, though Cincinnati hung tough for a few innings before the inevitable collapse.
Mookie Betts led the charge once again, ripping three doubles that echoed his impact from Game 1, where the Dodgers had already thumped the Reds 10-5. Yoshinobu Yamamoto took the mound for LA and delivered a solid outing, limiting the Reds to just a couple of runs over six innings—his poise under playoff lights a welcome sight after some regular-season inconsistencies. Indeed, Yamamoto's curveball had Cincinnati's hitters swinging at shadows, striking out seven in the process.
The Reds, however, couldn't muster much offense beyond an early rally. Nick Lodolo started for them but got shelled early, giving up four runs in the first three innings as Teoscar Hernández and Shohei Ohtani feasted on mistakes. Cincinnati's bullpen, including Nick Martinez, tried to steady the ship, but it was too little, too late. Manager David Roberts pulled his starters at the right moments, avoiding any late drama that plagued LA's relief corps in the regular season.
Moreover, the Dodgers' offense showed no signs of slowing down, pounding out 14 hits in Game 2 alone. It was a statement win, really, underscoring why Los Angeles enters the postseason as favorites despite injury concerns lingering from the summer. The Reds, for their part, fought valiantly but exposed some gaps in their pitching depth that had haunted them all year.
With the sweep complete, the Dodgers now shift focus to Philadelphia, where old rivalries could reignite. Yet as the playoffs unfold, one wonders if this momentum will carry them all the way or if the road ahead will test their depth in unexpected ways.