Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Philadelphia Phillies, Picks and Predictions, Saturday October 4th, 2025
Use Code WWWC The Los Angeles Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies will play Game 1 of a high profile NLDS matchup on Saturday in this Dodgers vs. Phillies prediction. The Dodgers won the NL West, but did not get the bye, they answered by taking down the Reds in consecutive games in the Wild Card Round. The Phillies won the NL East, and finished as the 2-seed in the Playoffs, granting them a first round bye. The Phillies won the regular season series against the Dodgers 4-2. Los Angeles will start Shohei Ohtani (2.87 ERA) while Philadelphia sends out Christopher Sanchez (2.50 ERA). First pitch is set for 6:40 EST and can be found on TBS. Keep reading to see our Dodgers vs. Phillies prediction, and check out all of our best Free MLB Picks.
Los Angeles Sends out Ohtani
The Los Angeles Dodgers have been extremely conservative while working Ohtani back into the pitching rotation during the regular season, but are willing to send their star to the mound here. They have started to let Ohtani pitch later into the game, as he only pitched an inning or two when he retook the mound in June, but has pithed five or more innings in three of his last four games. The Dodgers easily won their Wild Card matchup against the Reds, winning the first matchup by five runs and the second by four runs.
They clinched their Wild Card Round win with an 8-4 win over Cincy, with Mookie Betts going for four hits and three RBIs in the win. Betts bats second in the lineup as their shortstop, and is also capable of playing in the outfield when needed. Betts finished the season with 20 home runs and 82 RBIs with his .258 batting average. Teoscar Hernandez has been strong in the postseason, as he has two home runs and six RBIs through the first two postseason wins. Shohei Ohtani also homered twice in these playoffs, and finished the season third in the MLB with 55 home runs.
Ohtani will hit the mound for his 15th start of the season in this game as a 31-year-old right-hander. His record is just 1-1 officially, as he did not pitch many innings in his first few outings of the season. His ERA is 2.87 to go with 62 strikeouts against nine walks. In his last game on the mound, Ohtani pitched six scoreless innings in a game the Dodgers eventually lost to Arizona.
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Phillies Open the Postseason
The Philadelphia Phillies were not able to catch the Milwaukee Brewers for the top spot in the National League this season, but were still able to secure the 2nd seed in the NL and grab the first-round bye. Their division was competitive all season, but a late-season collapse from the Mets left the Phillies as the only team to make the playoffs from the NL East. The Phillies are making recent headlines for offering the 9 hot dogs and 9 beers in 9 innings challenge, but the fun and games will be over if they struggle with the Dodgers.
Kyle Schwarber was their top power hitter this season, as he finished the year with 56 home runs, which was second in the MLB behind Seattle's Cal Raleigh. Schwarber led all of Major League Baseball with 132 RBIs, and moved to second in the batting order this season after serving as their leadoff batter in recent seasons for the Phils. The best batting average on the team belongs to Trea Turner at .304. The shortstop is the team's new leadoff hitter and has 15 homers and 69 RBIs on the year. Bryce Harper was not their best bat this year, but is still a threat in the postseason and has 27 home runs and 75 RBIs throughout the year.
Christopher Sanchez will make his first start of the season after having a 13-5 record on the year. His ERA is 2.50, which was the fifth-best in all of baseball out of qualified pitchers. He finished the year with a 212-44 strikeout-to-walk ratio. In his most recent outing, Sanchez pitched 5.2 scoreless innings in a win over the Twins.
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Philadelphia Phillies picks
Moneyline pick and prediction for Dodgers vs. Phillies
- Phillies -125 (5 units)
The postseason is won on the mound, and despite the big name on the mound for Los Angeles in this matchup, the Phillies will still have the advantage. Sanchez has been in the starting rotation all season for the Phils, and finished with a 2.50 ERA, which was the fifth-best mark in all of baseball. Ohtani will be on the mound for the Dodgers, but Los Angeles has still not figured out how long they want to pitch their top power hitter. This confusion will lead to Ohtani getting pulled early, and the Dodgers were only 17th in the league in team ERA this year. The Phillies open this season with a victory.
Take the Phillies to win.
Over/Under Pick for Dodgers vs. Phillies
- Over 7.5 (4 units)
This is a low number, but we cannot expect both offenses to be quiet in this series opener. The Dodgers are starting Ohtani, but rarely ever send him out more than four or five innings, meaning the Phillies will be able to tee off on the weak bullpen for a few extra innings than usual in this one. Los Angeles just went over in each of their two games against the Reds, and their offense will not be intimidated by Sanchez on the mound. This game will see a lot of fireworks to start the series, expect this to cover the 7.5 runs easily.
Take the over.
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