The MLB playoffs begin today when the Los Angeles Dodgers take on the Cincinnati Reds at Dodger Stadium in the first game of their series in the Wild Card round.
The Dodgers have had an excellent season so far and come into this game with a record of 93-69, while the Reds have had a strong season too and come into this one with a record of 83-79.
We’ll take a look at the match-up and provide you with our best free MLB betting picks as we try to earn you some extra cash while you take in all the action on the field.
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The Dodgers campaign started the 2025 season in near-perfect fashion as they went on a 9-1 run to begin, including the Tokyo Series against the Chicago Cubs. They then lost three in a row against Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals, before returning to winning ways with seven wins from their next ten.
They entered May with a 21-10 record after a five-game winning run, and that continued with two more wins over the Atlanta Braves. However, they lost nine of their next 15, which sparked some big question marks over their form.
June started poorly as they lost seven of their first 12 games of the month. But they finally responded and got some rhythm back once more, winning five in a row, including three straight over the San Diego Padres. They then won ten of their next 12, before a shocking run where they lost seven in a row and scored just 17 runs across those games.
Following the All-Star break, the Dodgers lost six of nine, but got back to winning ways by defeating the Reds 2-1 in a three-game mini series, before starting August with five wins from eight games. Another losing streak followed, but the Dodgers finally got back in their groove by winning nine of their next 13.
A streaky season continued as Los Angeles went on a run of seven losses in eight, including five-in-a-row to start September. Following that though, LA won six of their next seven, before then clinching their playoff spot with a win over the New York Giants in the midst of a four-game winning run. They ended the season with a five-game winning run too, clinching the division with a win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Reds have had a good season themselves this year, but they started the campaign slowly with seven defeats in their opening ten games. The first series against the Giants helped them to turn it around though, as they began a run of six wins in seven games, beating New York, the Pittsburgh Pirates and Seattle Mariners. A run of five defeats in seven followed, but they closed out April with five wins in seven.
Losing the last two games of April set them up poorly for May, and their record took a major hit as they suffered nine defeats in their opening 13 games of the month. Cincinnati somewhat brought some respect back to the team with a five-game winning run to break that up, but their inconsistencies continued through the month and they went 4-6 in their next ten.
Cincinnati finally found some momentum in June, and the team went on an excellent run of 10 wins in 15 games, including a five-game and four-game winning streak. That run was broken up with three defeats in a row, before they ended the month with five wins from eight, including victories over the New York Yankees.
July was slow once again as the Reds lost five of their first seven in the month, but they quickly recovered to win four from five ahead of the All-Star Game. They then returned to action after the break with back-to-back wins over the New York Mets, before three defeats in a row. The team once again ended the month with five wins from eight, to head into the summer with a 57-53 record.
August wasn’t kind either as the Reds accumulated a 12-15 record over the month, which included a shocking run of eight defeats in nine games towards the end – with the Dodgers defeating them 3-0 in their mini-series in the middle of that.
Cincinnati looked to be on the verge of missing out on a playoff spot before some inspired form saw them win nine of their final 13 games, which earned them a spot in the postseason on the final day, despite a defeat, thanks to other favorable results.
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It shouldn’t be a surprise that the reigning World Series champions are the favorites heading into their first playoff match, especially with their favorable match up.
Cincinnati will come into the game knowing their best weapon is strong pitching, especially from starter Hunter Greene. However, his performances this season have been very hot and cold depending on whether he was on the road or at home.
Greene pitched to a 1.58 ERA at home this year compared to a 4.81 ERA on the road. To make matters worse, his last performance against the Dodgers on the road saw him concede five runs on six hits, including two home runs, in a 7-0 thrashing. Historically, the Dodgers’ lineup enjoys playing against Greene too, going 25-for-85 with five home runs. They will be looking forward to this game and confident of coming out with another big win.
With the likes of Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez all in great form and looking to go back-to-back, take the Dodgers to cover the spread at plus-money for a juicy payout.
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About the Author
Daniel is a football writer who has a great thirst for the Premier League and other major European leagues. A lover of the beautiful game and a firm believer that the eye test is better than statistics. Also an avid MMA fan.
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