PHILADELPHIA -- The postseason is finally here in South Philadelphia. A year filled with milestones, personal and club records, and key mid-season additions have led the Phillies to this point. Their reward? A match up with the reigning World Series champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Game 1 starts at 6:38 tonight, and the Phillies will have to deal with two-way phenom, Shohei Ohtani, in both halves of the first inning as he toes the rubber for his first ever postseason pitching appearance. He will be opposed by likely Cy Young award runner-up, left-hander Cristopher Sánchez, who will be making his third ever appearance in the playoffs.
Two star-studded lineups and two great pitchers should lend itself to an exciting game Saturday night. Let's break it down.
Phillies hitters vs Shohei Ohtani
Philly does not have a ton of experience against Ohtani. Whether it be due to injuries or rarely seeing the Angels prior to last season, Phillies hitters had seemingly avoided one of the best starters in the game when healthy.
Ohtani has worked his way back from injury this season, slowly increasing his workload and eventually reaching the normal five or six innings you would expect from a starting pitcher in today's game. Just a few weeks ago, Ohtani faced these Phillies for the first time in Los Angeles and twirled a gem. He went five innings and allowed no hits in his outing against Philadelphia - but that wasn't in Philly.
That matters. Not only is the crowd here one of the most electric in baseball, but Ohtani's ERA this season jumps more than two runs on the road (3.81) when compared to his success at home (1.71 ERA).
Rob Thomson did what he has done most of the season against a right-handed pitcher, loading his lineup with left-handed hitters. That means Brandon Marsh, Max Kepler, and Bryson Stott are all in the lineup. Marsh and Stott are significantly better against RHP this season, with their OPS being 200+ points higher than against LHP, and Kepler's jumps by 50 points with the platoon advantage.
There would have been some validity to switching from what has worked so well down the stretch. Only one player on the Phillies roster has a hit against Ohtani - Nick Castellanos. He is 2-for-3 against the best player in baseball with two doubles. He has also seen right-handed pitching much better as of late. Here's his splits since August 17, when he officially joined the outfield rotation:
Castellanos vs. RHP: .273/.349/.418, .3 2B, 1 HR, 7 RBIs, 12 Ks, 6 BB
Castellanos vs. LHP: .200/.256/.314, 1 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBIs, 16 Ks, 3 BB
Either way, the club had the benefit of seeing the phenom that is Ohtani recently. Prior to the game, however, Harrison Bader said that may not matter:
"Yeah, I think towards the end of the season there, you just kind of have your mind on the playoffs. Obviously you're staying present, but you're just trying to get as many lifts as possible because, you know, at some point you're gonna see these guys again," Bader explained. The center fielder expanded, "I think you're just gathering information and of course you're taking those games seriously because you're still playing for something, but the back of your head as competitors - you're always planning for the next opportunity. So I think getting a look from him was good, but at the end of the day, he might do something totally different, so can't put too much stock in what has already happened. You can only take notes and have multiple plans for what you think you might see."
Dodgers hitters vs. Cristopher Sánchez
In Sánchez's two starts against the Dodgers this season, he surrendered four earned runs in each game. The most recent time, September in LA, he faced off against Ohtani in that dominant start. The lanky left-hander had some trouble early but settled in. His final line:
7.0 IP | 4 ER | 7 H | 6 K | 0 BB - 2 HR
Overall, he's done well against Los Angeles, but not the dominant Sánchez that Phillies fans are accustomed to seeing. If he can keep the ball in the yard, expect a close game due to the strength of both starters.
Other notes
Rob Thomson did announce that Jesús Luzardo will be his game two starter, with Aaron Nola and Ranguer Súarez both available out of the bullpen during Game 1. Walker Buehler and Taijuan Walker will both strictly be used as relievers and could be deployed in a single inning or for length.
Thomson also noted that Buehler's experience with the Dodogers last season should pay dividends.
"I think he's given some information to our pitching coaches," the Phillies manager noted about potential intel Buehler could provide. He continued about the right-hander's experience and success in the postseason, "He's a winner. He has that aura about him.We're going to use him out of the pen in this series. Whether it's for length or for one inning, that's to be seen. He's a great teammate. He's in the middle of everything in that clubhouse. And he's a good guy to have around. And he's got a lot of talent."
6:38 is when Red October officially returns. Regular season record and expected results no longer matter. You play to win the game, and the Phillies have a tall task ahead of them no matter the opponent. It's time to show why they finished with the second-best record in baseball. Just go win.
