Shohei Ohtani will make history as he finally brings his two-way act to the postseason.
We truly are running out of superlatives as to Ohtani, but that “problem” is just the happy one we have as Dodgers fans during this current era. Others can and will write about that fact. Ohtani gave a press conference yesterday, focusing on something far more interesting to me and my travels in 2026: we are both eager to try the cheesesteaks from the visiting clubhouse.
Yes, the mecca that serves as the home of the underground cheesesteak eating contest will be my 31st stadium to visit while following the Dodgers in 2026, assuming everything goes to plan. I spent my weekend in Seattle in the final weekend of the regular season, eating my way through the offerings at T-Mobile Park, but now is not the time for true retrospectives.
Starting line by detour
The Dodgers have returned to the figurative starting line of the playoffs with a modicum of effort, looking slightly sharper in their efforts.
Contrary to what one might think, I am generally pleased about the Dodgers’ performance thus far in the postseason. Granted, the Cincinnati Reds proved to be the exact speed bump I expected them to be. Calling yourself a cockroach leads to comedy when one goes out of their way to get squashed.
You would think that facing a plucky, sixth-seeded team with nothing to lose, with allegations from this author that the Reds had no business being in the playoffs, would be tough for the Dodgers to overcome. Actually, it was super easy and barely an inconvenience as the Dodgers were the only winner to take care of business in two games.
Last time, I was concerned that the offense was misfiring a bit for the final two weeks of the year. In the Wild Card Round, those fears were allayed with aplomb.
- Mookie Betts, 6 for 10, 3 2B, 3 RBI, BB, K, .667/.700/1.000
- Teoscar Hernández, 4 for 10, 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, .400/.400/1.100
- Tommy Edman, 1 for 3, HR, RBI, 2 K, .333/.333/1.333
- Will Smith: Did Not Play
- Michael Conforto: Did Not Play
It is a small sample size, but one figures that Smith will re-integrate with the lineup, but these slash lines will certainly play, especially if Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, and Andy Pages continue to produce.
Now, the bullpen performed as expected in both good and bad. One would not be faulted for seeing signs of hope in the beleaguered relief core.
Now, Edgardo Henriquez throwing pitches all over Southern California except the strike zone is less than ideal, but one can chalk that performance up to nerves. The performances that raised an eyebrow negatively were those of Alex Vesia (Game 1) and Emmet Sheehan (Game 2). Vesia and Sheehan need to throw strikes — full stop. To his credit, Blake Treinen looked sharper.
Brent Honeywell was a 2024 stalwart because he absorbed low-leverage innings, allowing the high-leverage arms to succeed when it mattered most. With all due respect to Honeywell, the entire bullpen cannot be made out of Honeywell. I made a meme to reflect the current situation, which has Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw, and Roki Sasaki supplementing the bullpen.
Sasaki was a revelation in Game 2, finally looking like the Monster of the Reiwa Era that I had been following for the past two years. If Sasaki can hold down the ninth, Tanner Scott, Vesia, Treinen, Kershaw, and Sheehan can hold down leverage arms to turn the relief core from an outright liability to just average, then this playoff run might get quite interesting in a good way.
The Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies start their five-game series tonight, and the only prediction I will make is that the winner of this series will have an inside track to running the table. This series could easily fill up seven games, much less five.
If the Dodgers can silence the home crowd and steal home-field advantage in Game 1, the team will take that outcome every single time. At this point, the current core of the Phillies is likely facing its final playoff run in this window. If they come out flat again after yet another bye, the agita will flow.
The only expectation I have of the Dodgers is that they will leave their best on the field before returning to Los Angeles for Game 3.
Expectation Game
The MLB playoff field has narrowed to eight teams, with some teams being eliminated from the postseason unceremoniously. You might have heard a loud thud coming from Wrigley Field a couple of nights ago. The San Diego Padres were eliminated after again figuratively leaving their bats in San Diego for the second year in a row.
Having an allegedly super bullpen means squat if you never have a lead for it to protect. Going 3 for 26 with runners in scoring position over a three-game series is categorically unacceptable.
That statistic is the one everyone should be talking about. Instead, as is usual with the Padres, drama arose over a bad strikeout call in the top of the ninth inning of Game 3.
As I did not see the play live, I figured the pitch was more egregious than it was. I do not think that anyone will argue that the umpire got this one right. Yes, the incoming Automated Ball-Strike system would fix this call in a jiffy, assuming an available challenge.
But it was only the first out of the ninth inning in a game where the Padres went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position. Usually, this incident would be a footnote in yet another disappointing implosion, following A.J. Preller’s midseason trades to win just one game. The irony is not lost on me.
It was only after this story cemented the sheer unlikability of the current core that the incident happened, as the umpires exited the field through the Padres’ dugout.
I would be shocked if the league did not hand out discipline in the coming days. There’s passion, and then there’s abject stupidity; this incident was an example of the latter.
I understand being passionate in the moment, but if we needed another example of how mentally weak this current core of Padres players is, there we go. Manny Machado is not beating the temperament allegations either, but that discussion is one for a later day.
Once again, the Padres blew it — shocking virtually no one who has been paying attention. Let us take a moment to reflect on the “achievements” of the recent versions of the San Diego Padres.
For all the ink as to the “rivalry” between the Dodgers and Padres, that ink will likely dry up after this year, considering how many contracts are expiring and the now-open question of whether general manager A.J. Preller is retained.
Speaking of expectations, the Toronto Blue Jays, Milwaukee Brewers, and Seattle Mariners have now advanced further in the postseason than they have in recent memory. All I ask is that these respective teams not pull a San Diego Padres or Cleveland Guardians (seriously, you win all September to bow out unceremoniously at the first opportunity in October — again?!?) and not psychologically torture their fanbases.
I think we would all like to see a Mariners vs. Blue Jays American League Championship series, but if we end up with another Yankees vs. whoever snoozefest, I will be disappointed. We have an NL Central grudge match on the other side of the bracket. I have no preference who wins; I do not want that series on the other side of the NL bracket to end in three games, period.
All that is left to do is enjoy the weekend’s baseball while waiting for baseball to return to Los Angeles in Game 3.
