The Phillies know their Division Series begins Saturday at Citizens Bank Park. What they don’t know yet is who will walk through the gates to face them — the heavyweight Los Angeles Dodgers or the upstart Cincinnati Reds. Game 1 of the Wild Card series in L.A. provided a strong clue.
Shohei Ohtani set the tone with a leadoff home run, Blake Snell authored the deepest postseason start of his career, and the Dodgers flexed their muscle with a 10–5 victory over the Reds. For the Phillies, it was a night that underscored two realities: Los Angeles remains a juggernaut, and Cincinnati, despite its energy, faces long odds to survive this week.
Back in Philadelphia, roster maneuvering continues — and one decision has already been made for the Phillies. Johan Rojas will not be available for the Division Series.
The 25-year-old outfielder, who spent the final two months of the season in Triple-A, is still nursing a quad injury. His elite speed and defense could have provided late-game value in October, but the setback eliminates him from consideration for at least the first round. If the Phillies advance, he may be an option for the NLCS.
Without Rojas, the bench puzzle shifts. Otto Kemp and Weston Wilson are both candidates to fill utility roles, and with only five games in the Division Series, the need for a 13th pitcher is less pressing. The Phillies won’t need to submit their roster until Saturday morning, but the blueprint is already narrowing.
What unfolded at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday night was the type of game that reverberates across the bracket. Ohtani’s first-inning blast was followed by four more Los Angeles homers, overwhelming Reds starter Hunter Greene before he could escape the third inning.
On the other side, Snell silenced the skeptics. Long criticized for short outings and pitch-count battles, he thrived against a Reds lineup intent on swinging early. Four of the first six batters ended their at-bats within two pitches, allowing Snell to cruise through seven innings on just 91 pitches. It was the longest postseason start of his career, and exactly the kind of performance the Dodgers needed given their bullpen’s fragility.
By the time Cincinnati mounted a late surge — two runs in the seventh, three in the eighth — the Dodgers had already built an 8–0 cushion. The Reds trimmed the margin, but their best chance may have slipped with Game 1. History says so, too: since the current playoff format was implemented, the team that wins the opener has advanced 18 out of 20 times.
For the Reds, the task is stark. To force a deciding Game 3, they must find a way past Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 2. Their rotation alignment means All-Star Andrew Abbott is saved for Thursday — if they get that far.
Back here in Philly, the Phillies already know they’ll be counting on Matt Strahm this October — now they also know they’ll have him through 2026. His innings total activated a $7.5 million option, another reward for a season in which he allowed just two runs over his final 17 appearances.. He finished the year with 62 1/3 innings and a 2.74 ERA.
Last October’s stumble — four runs in two games against the Mets — lingers, but Strahm enters this postseason having reestablished himself as a late-inning anchor.
For now, the focus is narrow. The Phillies will not have Rojas in the Division Series. They will rely on a mix of bench depth and pitching strength as they wait for either the Dodgers’ stars or the Reds’ underdogs to arrive in South Philly.
The roster questions are important. The opponent looms larger. And if Game 1 in Los Angeles was any indication, the Phillies might soon be staring down Ohtani, Snell, and Yamamoto in a best-of-five that will demand everything they have.
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