SEA George Kirby vs. TOR Shane Bieber.
George Kirby got rocked in his last ALCS outing, so this doesn't bode well for the Mariners. Fabian Ardaya over in The Athletic has a semi-balanced breakdown of why the Dodgers might prefer either World Series opponent, but in my mind it's clearly favorable for us to face the Mariners; home field advantage is a slam dunk rationale (MLB television ratings be damned).
But another 15-inning game for Seattle wouldn't be bad, either.
Logan Gilbert vs. Trey Yesavage.
I'm wearing my Blue Jays shirt today in hopes of forcing a bullpen-tiring Game 7. However, I think I prefer Seattle to win the series.
Cubs @ Brewers, 5p.
No starting pitchers named as of this post creation (Friday Oct 10, 9.30p PT). I am out of pocket today but will be keeping tabs on this game.
I can't even pontificate about who'd we prefer to win (we were 0-6 against the Brewers this year; however we were only 3-4 against the Cubs this year, and that includes two wins in Tokyo).
I'm just hoping for a 26-inning game that uses all pitchers on both teams.
Thankfully, the Dodgers can launder their beer-soaked shirts today, before flying on a plane to Philadelphia for the NLDS. But the six other teams in Wild Card games are still alive, so we can keep tabs on these while we wait for the dryer cycle to finish:
Clayton Kershaw (10-2, 3.52) vs. Bryce Miller (4-5, 5.53).
This blog has been around since 2006, and for almost the entirety of this 20-year run, we've had one constant: Clayton Kershaw (who debuted with the Dodgers in 2008).
It will be very weird to think of the Dodgers without Clayton Kershaw on the roster.
So let's celebrate his last regular-season start today, and honor the class act that is Clayton Kershaw.
UPDATE 9.49a: Okay, I can't help myself. We have to keep half an eye on the out of town scoreboard today, to see who our opponent will be for the National League Wild Card series.
In Milwaukee, Cincinnati's Brady Singer (14-11, 3.95) goes up against Freddy Peralta (17-6, 2.68), who has been talked about for the National League Cy Young Award. That's a heck of an opponent for the Reds, but if they win, they advance to the playoffs.
In Miami, the Mets' Sean Manaea (2-4, 5.80) squares off against Edward Cabrera (7-7, 3.66). If the Mets lose, the Reds advance to the playoffs. The only combination of outcomes that works for the Mets is a Mets victory AND a Reds loss.
All MLB games start at the same time today.
If there's another silver lining, it's that both the Reds and Mets will have to throw their best (remaining) arm and also play their full lineup, whereas the Dodgers can let Kershaw go a minimum number of innings (Tyler Glasnow only had three innings in his start yesterday), and also rest the batters (apparently, there's a Monday workout back in Los Angeles).
The Dodgers' 3-2 win over Seattle wasn't the real story last night, despite the fact that Tanner Scott earned the save (which is news in itself).
No, Friday night was all about scoreboard watching in the National League. And with the Mets' collapse to lose 6-2 to the Marlins, plus the Reds' comeback victory over the Brewers, the Reds and Mets are now tied in the standings, with the Reds owning the tiebreaker for the last Wild Card position.
Former Dodger Gavin Lux was Player of the Game, with a 2-for-4 performance, scoring two runs.
The last Wild Card slot will face the Dodgers in a best of three series, with all three games at Dodger Stadium.
So clearly, there is question about which team we want to back, with two games left on the docket. Fangraphs has the Reds at 54% and the Mets at 46%.
USA Today's Bob Nightengale thinks the Dodgers should prefer the Mets:
This is a team that not only has self-destructed, its pitching staff is also in tatters. The Mets had to rely on three rookies who were called up to make their major-league debuts this past month, and even if they happen to survive to Sunday, they have no idea who would even pitch Game 162, let alone in a playoff series.
The Reds, meanwhile, led by future Hall of Fame manager Terry Francona, may have the fourth-worst offense in the National League – scoring three or fewer runs in their last five games – but they have an awfully talented starting rotation. If they make it, they are lined up to have ace Hunter Greene (7-4, 2.76 ERA) pitch in Game 1, Brady Singer (14-11, 3.95 ERA) in Game 2 and Nick Lodolo (9-8, 3.30 ERA) for a potential Game 3.
“I don’t think anyone would want to play us if we sneak in there, not with our pitching," Lux told USA TODAY Sports last month. “We’re a young team with nothing to lose. We can match up with anyone."The Dodgers will publicly tell you they really don’t care who they’re facing, but if they had their druthers, surely they would prefer the Mets.
I don't know, man. I think I would prefer to see the Reds. But let's see how this weekend plays out.
Emmet Sheehan (6-3, 2.86) vs. TBD.
The Mariners have clinched the AL West. The Dodgers have clinched the NL West.
Let's just get out there and enjoy things today, okay? Maybe even give Michael Conforto the start?
Other games to watch, with implications on our upcoming Wild Card Series opponent:
The Dodgers went 3-4 against the Mets, 5-1 against the Reds, and 7-6 against the Diamondbacks this season. I suppose I'm pulling for Cincinnati, then.
Winning five out of seven from the division rival Giants, with them on the precipice of making the playoffs, sounds a heck of a lot better than what really happened on Sunday, another bullpen meltdown (this time by Blake Treinen), who gave up three runs in the top of the eighth inning to ruin the Dodgers' 1-0 lead and waste seven scoreless innings from Emmet Sheehan.
The Giants' playoff chances may be bleak, but so too appear to be the Dodgers' 2025 playoff chances when formerly steady hands like Treinen--or Tanner Scott, or Kirby Yates, or Michael Kopech, among others--have been hopeless here in late September. Or, in Tanner Scott's case, all year long.
Conventional baseball wisdom says that the Dodgers' overuse of the bullpen all year, a byproduct of the injury-ridden starting rotaation, is coming back to bite the team at the worst time. We've got six more games to see who has the potential to step up this postseason.
Meanwhile, at the Hall of Justice, the National League Wild Card race has gotten hairy, as strange things are afoot at the Circle K. Cincinnati just siezed the third and final WC spot from the Mets (Reds hold the tiebreaker), and both the Mets and Reds are idle today (along with the Dodgers).
But the Padres, three games back of the Dodgers in the NL West, host the Brewers at 6.40p PT (MIL Freddy Peralta vs. SD Jake Pivetta), in a game that means a bit more for the Padres, however both teams are comfortable in their current postseason berth positions.
And the Giants host the Cardinals (STL Michael McGreevy vs. SF Justin Verlander) at 6.45p PT, with Verlander trying to keep the Giants relevant while he looks for his fourth win of the year (and 266th of his career).
Angels @ Padres, 6.40p. Yusei Kikuchi (0-4, 3.83) vs. Michael King (4-1, 2.22). Not a lot of hope that the Angels can pull off this game, let alone this series--but who knows. Dodgers sit a game ahead of the Padres at start of play today.
Diamondbacks @ Giants, 6.45p.. Merrill Kelly (3-2, 4.09) vs. Justin Verlander (0-2, 4.50). Verlander has 262 career wins and at his 2025 pace, he...will not ever reach 300 wins. Giants are three games behind the Dodgers, in third place in the NL West, at start of play.
