Three potential factors in Dodgers-Phillies NLDS clash

The Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers will battle each other on Saturday in Game 1 of the National League Division Series in a battle of heavyweights.

The Dodgers' stars carried them through the wild-card round, with Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts propelling the offense to 18 runs, while Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched the Dodgers past the Reds. 

The Phillies will have an answer of their own, with Bryce Harper having a .280 career batting average and 1.016 OPS in 53 career postseason games and Kyle Schwarber hitting .237 with a .906 OPS in 69 postseason games. 

However, in most postseason games, it comes down to the 26th guy on the roster, or a bullpen coming to life to take down big innings after failing to in the regular season 

Edmundo Sosa could be an X factor for the Phillies 

Coming off his best season since getting traded to the Phillies from the St. Louis Cardinals in 2022, Sosa hit .276 with an OPS of .777, while hitting a career high 11 home runs and 39 RBI in 89 games. One of the Phillies' best fielders, but also one of the best in the game, Sosa ranks in the 89th percentile for his range. 

Sosa’s Gold Glove-caliber defense at shortstop, third base and second base could come in handy late in the game if the Phillies need a defensive replacement. Sosa’s growth at the plate and his .318 batting average and .895 OPS against lefties will play against someone like Blake Snell or anyone in the bullpen. 

Enrique Hernandez could continue to be a postseason star

If the Dodgers' lineup wasn’t deep enough, they could get a decent amount of production from Hernandez, who has proven to be one of the best postseason players in his 87 career playoff games, having a batting average of .283 and an OPS of .880. 

Hernandez was key to the Dodgers winning Game 2, as he drove in third baseman Max Muncy on a double in the right-centerfield gap to tie the game 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning. Hernandez has a career .281 batting average and .843 OPS in the NLDS, and could become a factor early.