Sep 14, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) fouls off a pitch against the San Francisco Giants during the fifth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

Dodgers Predicted to Shockingly Lose to Giants in NL Wild Card Round

Originally posted on Los Angeles Dodgers on SI
By Nelson Espinal | Last updated Sep 18, 2025 2:30 PM ET

The Los Angeles Dodgers are concluding their regular season in the midst of a tight battle with the San Diego Padres for the National League West title.

The Dodgers remain slightly ahead in the NL West race, though the Padres are still within striking distance of potentially taking the crown.

While the division is still up for grabs, the Dodgers are locked in to play the Wild Card round, though winning the division can help secure home field advantage over the Friars.

The Wild Card possesses many risks, especially in a sport like baseball where there is a lot of variance. A cold stretch of offense or a couple of bad starts from pitchers can be really costly in a short, three-game series.

In a prediction done by Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report, the Dodgers end up winning the division, avoiding the Wild Card round, though they end up facing the San Fransisco Giants.

"Like we said, in a short series, Logan Webb and Robbie Ray will be a scary one-two punch in a best-of-three series," Kelley wrote in his prediction.

"When you also add in that future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander has a 2.95 ERA in 11 starts since the All-Star Break, we're going to say that the Giants upset their division rivals and end the hopes of the Dodgers repeating on the backs of their starting pitching."

While it is certainly possible that the Dodgers can lose out to the Giants, the Dodgers hold every possible advantage on paper. Los Angeles' rotation is just as good as San Francisco's, if not better, while having more bullpen depth.

The Dodgers have the deeper lineup as well, though their outfield defense is a notable weakness.

What the Dodgers lacked this season was consistency and all facets of the game clicking together for an extended period of time. If Los Angeles taps into their past playoff experience and plays up to their talent, a series win over the Giants should be in the cards.

However, if the bullpen continues to implode regularly and the bottom of the lineup does not deliver, the Giants do have the tools to win a series against Los Angeles.