Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Dodgers flex muscles, eliminate Reds in wild-card round

By Jacob Mountz | Last updated Oct 2, 2025 10:10 AM ET

In a brief two-game slugfest, the Los Angeles Dodgers outscored the Cincinnati Reds 18-9, taking their wild-card series by storm and sending Cincinnati home. In the process, the reigning champs’ offense has put the other NL contenders on notice.

Dodgers dominate in wild-card round

In Game 1, the Dodgers mashed five home runs in a 10-5 victory. Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernandez combined to hit four of five, with Tommy Edman accounting for one. However, what truly stood out was the batting order's performance against elite pitching.

Hunter Greene, the Reds starter in Game 1, finished the season with a 2.76 ERA. Against the Dodgers on Tuesday, he finished the day having pitched just three innings, allowing five runs, which included surrendering three home runs.

On Wednesday, the Dodgers won 8-4, scoring all of their eight runs without hitting a single home run. Three of those runs came off the bat of Mookie Betts, who went 4-for-5 with three doubles. And while the offense took the spotlight, there is no understating the impact of their formidable starting rotation.

Four hits, three doubles for Mookie Betts@Dodgers are ROLLING! #Postseason pic.twitter.com/xIgTKg74w5
— MLB (@MLB) October 2, 2025

On Tuesday, veteran lefty Blake Snell gave up just two runs in seven innings. In Wednesday’s match, Yoshinobu Yamamoto went 6.2 innings, allowing two unearned runs that came as a result of an error committed by Teoscar Hernandez, one that he made up for by hitting a two-run double. But despite the Dodgers' utter dominance in the wild card, there are some valid concerns to keep an eye on.

Dodgers relief corps raises some red flags

In both games, once the Dodgers starters left, chaos ensued. Alex Vesia and Edgardo Henriquez combined to give up three earned runs in a third of an inning while pitching from the bullpen in Game 1. In Game 2, Emmet Sheehan surrendered two earned runs in a third of an inning before being pulled in the middle of a 1-2 count. This leaves a significant question mark on who manager Dave Roberts can rely on in high-leverage situations.

The Dodgers bullpen finished the regular season with a disconcerting 4.27 cumulative ERA, ranking 21^st in baseball. Thus far in the 2025 postseason, it owns a 10.25 cumulative bullpen ERA, worse than any contender that has played in the wild-card round.

With the Reds in their rearview mirror, the Dodgers will take on the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS starting on Saturday. This match between two NL titans will be the first crucial test for the Dodgers bullpen as they seek to win consecutive championships.

Jacob Mountz

Jacob Mountz is an avid baseball enthusiast and New York Yankee fanatic. His work covering the MLB has been featured on Yardbarker, Athlon Sports, FanSided, House That Hank Built and Medium. Jacob thoroughly enjoys Aaron Judge's moonshots and cheeseburgers of all sizes.

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