Los Angeles Dodgers vs Philadelphia Phillies Prediction & Picks - MLB

Prediction published on 10/4/25, 3:31 PM  by Lou Aguila in MLB Picks

The Los Angeles Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies begin their five-game National League Divisional Series on Saturday at Citizens Bank Park.

After sweeping the Cincinnati Reds in the wild-card series, the Dodgers landed in Philadelphia as +101 road underdogs against the NL East champions, the Phillies.

Current Form:

The Dodgers made quick work of the Reds to punch their ticket to the NLDS. Los Angeles flexed their offensive might, scoring a total of 18 runs in two games against Cincinnati. Pitchers Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto dazzled in their first start this postseason. Snell surrendered two earned runs with 9Ks over 7.0 innings to rally the Dodgers to a 10-5 win in Game 1. Yamamoto held the Reds scoreless through seven innings in an 8-4 win in Game 2.

The Phillies secured an outright berth to the NLDS after finishing with a 96-66 record, the second-best record in the National League just behind the Brewers’ 97-65 slate. Philadelphia is a team that can deal damage from anywhere on the field. They posted the second-best batting average of the regular season at .258 and 8th 8th-best ERA at 3.79. Moreover, the Phillies' starting rotation produced 84 quality starts (No.1 in the MLB).

Starting Pitchers Matchup:

Dodgers RHP Shohei Ohtani: Ohtani will be pitching for the first time in the postseason. The Japanese two-way star went 1-1 with a 2.87 ERA across 14 starts this year. The Dodgers put a short leash on him since he’s coming off a major injury in his throwing arm. In the postseason, the Dodgers are expected to lift this restriction on Ohtani, who can make a lot of difference on the moun,d especially if he can pitch six or seven solid innings.

Phillies LHP Christopher Sanchez: Sanchez went 13-5 with a 2.50 ERA in the regular season. He has established himself as the Phillies’ ace this season after putting up strong numbers on the mound. In his last five starts, Sanchez has gone 4-1 with a 1.65 ERA. He hasn’t surrendered a run over his last 12.2 innings on the mound.