The National League Wild Card round continues Tuesday night in Southern California, as the Cincinnati Reds visit the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of their best-of-three series. First pitch is set for 9:00 p.m. ET at Dodger Stadium, and the game can be seen on ESPN.
Check out our Reds vs. Dodgers prediction for this matchup as Los Angeles begins its quest to repeat as World Champions.
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Reds vs. Dodgers Prediction, Preview for 9/30/25
The Reds received a fortunate break down the stretch, as the New York Mets had an epic meltdown, allowing Cincy to grab the final NL Wild Card spot.
For their part, Dodgers pulled away from the Padres to capture their 11th NL West championship in the last 12 seasons. Los Angeles hasn’t played in the Wild Card round since the expansion of the playoffs in 2022.
Cincinnati Reds
Manager Terry Francona’s club finished 83-79, including an 8-3 run in the final 11 games to clinch their first playoff berth since 2020.
This season, the Reds were tied for 17th in batting average at .245, 21st in home runs, and 21st in slugging.
Despite their offensive struggles, Cincinnati snuck into the playoffs — though they dropped five of six games to the Dodgers this season, including all three at Chavez Ravine.
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers have been the class of the National League for years, but couldn’t leapfrog the Brewers and Phillies to avoid the Wild Card round.
Following back-to-back exits in the NLDS, the Dodgers posted a 6-2 playoff home record in last season’s run to a World Series title.
The stars shined for the Dodgers this season, highlighted by MVP favorite Shohei Ohtani. The two-way unicorn posted a wOBA of .439 and xSLG of .672, both of which ranked in the 99th percentile of MLB.
As opposed to last season, Los Angeles has Ohtani at its disposal on the mound, a boon for them, as he compiled a 2.87 ERA in 14 starts in 2025.
Reds vs. Dodgers Picks & MLB DFS
Reds P Hunter Greene vs. Dodgers Projection: 6 Strikeouts
- Greene returned to the Cincinnati rotation in mid-August, compiling at least 7 Ks in four of his last five starts.
- The fireballer put together terrific numbers in several categories, racking up a 31.4% strikeout rate, along with a 31.4 whiff percentage.
- In Greene’s lone start against the Dodgers this season, he was limited to 3 strikeouts.
- Greene has silenced Ohtani in his career, limiting the Dodgers’ star to 1 hit and 3 strikeouts in seven at-bats. However, Greene has never K'd 2B Mookie Betts in nine chances.
- In 11 of the last 14 games against right-handed starting pitchers, the Dodgers have struck out 5 or less times.
Dodgers P Blake Snell vs. Reds Projection: 7 Strikeouts
- Snell continued his merry-go-round through the NL West, throwing for his third team in three seasons.
- After a run in San Diego and a quick stop in San Francisco, the left-hander posted a 5-4 record and 2.35 ERA with the Dodgers.
- The two-time Cy Young winner didn’t face the Reds this season, but he has limited this Cincinnati offense to 5-for-48 in his career.
- Snell has recorded at least 8 Ks in each of his past three home starts, highlighted by a 12-strikeout performance against the Phillies on September 17.
- The previous 11 left-handed starting pitchers to face the Reds have been limited to 6 or less strikeouts.
- Prior to this season, Snell racked up seven consecutive seasons with a K rate of higher than 30%. In 2025, he finished with a 28.3% strikeout rate, which still ranked in the 85th percentile.
Reds SS Elly De La Cruz vs. Dodgers Projection: 0.5 Total Bases
- De La Cruz makes his postseason debut, facing a pitcher who's struck him out twice in his only 4 at-bats against him.
- Several of De La Cruz’s advanced hitting stats remained close to his totals of 2024, but he did improve his xBA from .240 to .260.
- De La Cruz stumbled to a .217 batting average in September, although he picked up a base hit in eight of his final nine games.
- In five of six games against the Dodgers, De La Cruz racked up at least a hit, but 4 of his 5 hits were singles.
- His batting average dipped to .236 against left-handed pitching, as only 5 of his 17 home runs came against southpaws.
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The Tuesday night playoff card concludes in Los Angeles as the Dodgers try to avoid the upset against the upstart Reds at Chavez Ravine.
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