Now comes the hard part.
The Cincinnati Reds were just a glimpse of what’s next.
The wild-card series was a warm-up compared with the full house waiting ahead.
The Dodgers easily swept the best-of-three with the overmatched Reds on Wednesday at Dodger Stadium, capping it with an 8-4 win … just in time to head uneasily into the home of heated hardball.
The Philadelphia Phillies await.
The National League’s most dangerous and determined team is up next.
Bryce Harper. Kyle Schwarber. That rotation. That closer. That crowd. And that history.
Two weeks ago, the Dodgers hosted the Phillies with a chance to sweep them and steal a first-round bye. Instead, they were battered, the bullpen blowing two games. The Phillies finished with the NL’s second-best record and earned that first-round break.
The Dodgers were penalized with a short wild-card series against Cincinnati. Their reward for sweeping it: a best-of-five division series in Philadelphia, beginning Saturday at Citizens Bank Park.
A place that drew 27,000 fans this week just to watch a workout.
If the Dodgers can beat the favored Phillies, their path to a second straight World Series title looks clearer, as no other team has comparable firepower. But in a short series, with Philadelphia’s pitching rested and its injuries mostly healed, can the Dodgers really pull it off? They lost four of six to the Phillies in the regular season, and unlike others, Philadelphia showed no fear.
The Dodgers insist they’re ready.
“I think we can win it all,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I think we’re equipped to do that. We certainly have the pedigree. We certainly have the hunger. We’re playing great baseball. And in all honesty, I don’t care who we play. I just want to be the last team standing.”
If Wednesday’s win was an indication, the Dodgers look primed for the fight.
Ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto worked out of a bases-loaded, none-out jam in the sixth with a grounder and two strikeouts. He gave up only two unearned runs in 6 2/3 innings, struck out nine and showed he’s ready for the next step.
Other October regulars heated up, too. Kiké Hernández made a running, over-the-shoulder catch in left field and added two hits, two runs and an RBI.
“At times it felt like we were kind of checked out during the regular season,” Hernández said. “Here we are now and these are the games that really matter. … I think it was experience and age has a lot to do with it. We have a lot of young guys, but I think we have a very salty team.”
Salty, and streaking. The Dodgers have won 11 of 13. Mookie Betts had three doubles and four RBIs. Teoscar Hernández had a two-run double after a dropped fly ball.
“Obviously, I know we can win the whole thing,” Betts said. “We just have to play good baseball. We’ve got to continue to pitch, timely hitting and play defense, and everything should be OK.”
And Shohei Ohtani singled in a run, lining up to start Game 1 on Saturday in Philadelphia.
“Very talented ballclub,” Roberts said of the Phillies. “It’s going to be a fun environment. I think we match up really well with those guys. They’re going to run a bunch of left-handers at us. Talented, all throughout the lineup. They got Trea (Turner) back. It’s going to be a fun series.”
The Phillies, in some ways, mirror past Dodgers teams. They’ve been among baseball’s best in recent years but are still seeking a ring after three straight postseason failures. They lost to the Mets in the division series last season, the Diamondbacks in the NLCS two years ago and the Astros in the World Series three years back.
They’re tired of second-guessing and fed up with October failures. That makes them more dangerous.
Harper has a 1.016 OPS in 12 postseason series but no ring. Schwarber led the league with 56 homers and 132 RBIs, but with Ohtani around, he won’t be MVP.
Their short-series rotation – Cristopher Sánchez, Ranger Suárez and JesĂşs Luzardo – stacks up with the Dodgers’ top three. And their closer, Jhoan Duran, acquired at the trade deadline along with outfielder Harrison Bader, gives them the shutdown arm the Dodgers never found.
The Dodgers tried to piece together the late innings Wednesday, handing the eighth to starter Emmet Sheehan in a six-run game. He walked two, gave up two hits and got only one out. He was yanked mid-at-bat with a 1-2 count, and Alex Vesia finished the strikeout amid boos.
Roki Sasaki, throwing the night’s best heat, closed with two strikeouts as fans chanted, “Ro-ki, Ro-ki!”
Maybe he’s the answer. The Dodgers will find out soon enough. Their season is on the line. The reckoning starts in three days. The Phillies are coming.
“There’s a lot of work to be done!” Roberts shouted before the team’s subdued champagne celebration. “My only ask is that every single guy be ready when called upon! Keep your minds right. We’re gonna need every single one of you guys! Stay in it, stay focused, keep playing for each other! Let’s go!”
The work starts now.
