Reds

Warnock said: “There is a great player in Conor Bradley, but he needs to stay fit and get a run of games to build up a relationship with Salah. These things can take time, even with the best players.

“Trent leaving has had an impact on Salah. Their partnership, if not exactly unnoticed, was almost taken as read. Yes, they are world-class individuals, but it was also a partnership.

“They really complemented each other. Trent could go inside, draw people towards him, which freed up more space for Salah. And when Salah drove at people he had the ability to feed Trent because teams were backing off.”

Alexander-Arnold’s comfort in possession with his fellow defenders, plus the ability to move into midfield, means his presence is also sorely missed elsewhere.

Warnock said: “I think Ibrahima Konate probably misses him as well. He knew he could give Trent the ball under pressure. I think it is having an impact on the right-hand side of the pitch, both in defence and attack.

“Liverpool also created a box system in the centre of midfield, which they did so well, when Trent was in the side.

“There was a lot of praise given to Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai, but Trent was a big part of that as well. Losing that extra body in the midfield area, when he was in there, is also missed because opponents were drawn to him, fearful of what he could create.”

Jeremie Frimpong, signed in a £29m deal from Bayer Leverkusen to compete with Bradley for the place vacated by Alexander-Arnold, has had his Anfield start curtailed by hamstring injuries.

Warnock said: “The biggest issue with Frimpong is not only injuries, but what is his best position? At Bayer Leverkusen he spent a lot of time as a right wing-back.”

Slot’s squad selection for Wednesday’s EFL Cup defeat by Crystal Palace sparked huge debate.

He made 10 changes from Liverpool’s last outing, handing out two debuts and naming three teenagers in his starting line-up, plus a further five among his substitutes.

The likes of Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Dominik Szoboszlai, Cody Gakpo, Florian Wirtz, Mohamed Salah and Hugo Ekitike were all absent as the Reds made a tame exit in a competition they have won twice in the past four seasons.

Liverpool fan Abigail Rudkin told BBC Sport she is disappointed by Slot’s decision-making.

“Walking to the game last night, me and my dad got the team sheet and we were like ‘he’s sacrificed this’,” she said. “I understand we are losing games at the moment but you need to try and get a winning mentality back.

“We are losing patience. I think there are two different sides of the fanbase at the minute.

“There are those on social media that are calling on him to lose his job, and there are the people I see at the ground, like me, who are losing patience going to these games and not enjoying it as much with losing the games, but they also want to stay patient with him because we are very grateful to him for what we’ve had from last season when we thought it would all fall apart without Jurgen Klopp.”

Winning the title in his maiden season is a double-edged sword for Slot according to supporter Richard.

“The problem is Slot won the Premier League with Jurgen Klopp’s team,” he said. “This was amazing. However, now he has spent hundreds of millions of pounds to improve and put his stamp on the team and club, it is all going wrong.

“When you watch him on the touchline, he doesn’t seem to know how to fix things when they go wrong. We have stopped pressing and terrorising opponents. For some reason, we now play at training-game pace, and only really bring the hammer in the last 15 minutes or so when we’re behind and chasing the game. This is not Liverpool at all.”

Fellow fan Ryan said it’s “way too soon” to be talking about getting rid of Slot, but said players need to take responsibility and shoulder some of the blame too.

“We don’t turn into a bad team overnight,” he said. “But Slot doesn’t help himself with some of his decisions – and that is what he can control.

“Liverpool operate differently and I can’t see us cutting Slot and his staff so soon. However, results are what count, ultimately, and if things don’t improve – and quickly – then we all know how the road ends.

“The players have to step up too, by the way – it shouldn’t all be on the manager. Some have been way, way below an acceptable standard for Liverpool.”

Liverpool manager Arne Slot says he has “no regrets” after making 10 changes to his team for their Carabao Cup fixture against Crystal Palace, a match they went on to lose 3-0 at Anfield.

READ MORE: Slot ‘making excuses’ – but should he have rested key players?

From Jack Harris: The “theater of October,” as Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman often describes playoff baseball, descended upon Chavez Ravine for Game 2 of the National League wild-card series Wednesday night.

There was dramatic adversity early, after Teoscar Hernández’s consequential dropped ball in the first inning created a sudden deficit.

There was climactic tension late, as the Dodgers’ bullpen grinded through more eighth-inning trouble that threatened to squander another comfortable lead.

There were leading performances in the middle, from Mookie Betts (four hits, three doubles, three RBIs), Kiké Hernández (two hits, two runs, one RBI in another postseason masterclass) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto most of all (6⅔ clutch innings that got the game back under control).

At the end, there was even a star turn from rookie phenom Roki Sasaki, who slammed the door shut in an 8-4 victory that completed a wild-card sweep of the Cincinnati Reds.

“It was a great test, and we didn’t waver,” manager Dave Roberts said.

“One inning at a time, one pitch at a time,” Betts added. “That’s what I love about this team.”

Indeed, the Dodgers not only advanced to the NL Division Series, where they will face off against the powerhouse Philadelphia Phillies beginning Saturday night. But they did so with the kind of performance that could catapult them through the rest of this month, steeling their resiliency and their resolve in pursuit of a second-consecutive World Series championship.

Continue reading here

It must be October, because Super Kiké Hernández is here. ‘Track record speaks for itself’

Hernández: Can the Dodgers win a World Series with such an unreliable bullpen?

Shaikin: Why the Dodgers don’t need to worry about rested starting pitchers for NLDS

Real estate investor denies improper use of Shohei Ohtani’s likeness

Dodgers box score

MLB POSTSEASON SCHEDULE, RESULTS

National League

Cincinnati at Dodgers
Dodgers 10, Cincinnati 5 (box score)
Dodgers 8, Cincinnati 4 (box score)

San Diego at Chicago
Chicago 3, San Diego 1 (box score)
San Diego 3, Chicago 0 (box score)
Thursday, 2 p.m., ESPN

American League

Detroit at Cleveland
Detroit 2, Cleveland 1 (box score)
Cleveland 6, Detroit 1 (box score)
Thursday, noon, ABC

Boston at New York
Boston 3, New York 1 (box score)
New York 4, Boston 3 (box score)
Thursday, 5 p.m., ESPN

NL Division Series

Dodgers vs. Philadelphia
Saturday at Philadelphia, TBD, TBS
Monday at Philadelphia, TBD, TBS
Wednesday at Dodgers, TBD, TBS
*Thursday, Oct. 9 at Dodgers, TBD, TBS
*Sunday, Oct. 11 at Philadelphia, TBD, TBS

San Diego or Chicago vs. Milwaukee
Saturday at Milwaukee, TBD, TBS
Monday at Milwaukee, TBD, TBS
Wednesday at SD or Chi, TBD, TBS
*Thursday, Oct. 9 at SD or Chi, TBS, TBS
*Saturday, Oct. 11 at Milwaukee, TBD, TBS

AL Division Series

Cleveland or Detroit vs. Seattle
Saturday at Seattle, TBD, Fox/FS1
Sunday at Seattle, 5 p.m., FS1
Tuesday at Cle. or Det., TBD, Fox/FS1
*Wednesday at Cle. Det., TBD, Fox/FS1
*Friday, Oct. 10 at Seattle, TBD, Fox/FS1

New York or Boston vs. Toronto
Saturday at Toronto, TBD, Fox/FS1
Sunday at Toronto, 1 p.m., FS1
Tuesday at NY or Bos., TBD, Fox/FS1
*Wednesday at NY or Bos., TBD, Fox/FS1
*Friday, Oct. 10 at Toronto, TBD, Fox/FS1

*-if necessary

RAMS

From Gary Klein: Two seasons before Puka Nacua joined the Rams, Cooper Kupp made NFL history.

In 2021, Kupp won the so-called triple crown of receiving, was named NFL offensive player of the year and won the Super Bowl LVI most valuable player award.

Not that Nacua, a junior at Brigham Young at the time, monitored Kupp’s statistics.

“Sadly, I don’t recall too much,” he said. “I never was a fantasy player so I never caught the buzz either.”

Four games into this season, the NFL is abuzz about Nacua.

Nearly three quarters of this season are still to be played, but if the Rams keep winning and Nacua keeps producing, the third-year pro could be on a track similar to Kupp’s historic season.

Continue reading here

LAKERS

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: When LeBron James was asked about how a former defensive player of the year and a former No. 1 overall pick could elevate the Lakers roster, the superstar instead offered a different offseason addition’s name first.

“And Jake,” James added quickly during his Lakers media day news conference after a question about center Deandre Ayton and guard Marcus Smart.

Jake LaRavia’s signing came with less fanfare than the moves that brought Smart and Ayton to the Lakers, but the 6-foot-7 wing hopes he can be equally as influential in a quiet connector role behind some of the league’s biggest stars.

“We got a lot of dudes on this team that can score, a lot of dudes on this team that can put the ball in the bucket,” LaRavia said Wednesday at Lakers training camp. “So I’m here to complement those players, but to also just bring energy every day on both sides of the ball.”

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THRILLA IN MANILA

From Bill Dwyre: Once all the papers were signed and the fight was officially on, Muhammad Ali knew exactly what to do.

The master quipster, fight-promoting wizard and most famous and outrageous boxer in the world — the longtime heavyweight champion who had trumpeted his boxing style as one to “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee” — told the media what would happen on Oct. 1, 1975.

“It will be,” he bellowed, “A killa and a thrilla and a chilla when I get to the gorilla in Manila.”

It turned out to be all of that 50 years ago, as well as being offensive, when he called his fight opponent, Joe Frazier, a gorilla. The shortened “Thrilla in Manila” stuck and became the label and the headline for what was to become one of the greatest boxing matches of all time.

Bob Arum will turn 94 in December, and he is still going strong.

In the ‘60s, he was a Harvard-educated lawyer who ended up working for Bobby Kennedy’s justice department. Kennedy assigned him to confiscate closed-circuit TV revenue from the 1962 Floyd Patterson-Sonny Liston fight because information had been leaked to the U.S. government that the promoter, Roy Cohn, was planning to skirt some tax responsibilities by illegally paying Patterson in Sweden.

That’s the same Roy Cohn who eventually became the lawyer and confidant of a young Donald Trump.

Continue reading here

THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

1906 — Canadian world heavyweight boxing champion Tommy Burns KOs American challenger ‘Fireman’ Jim Flynn in 15 rounds to retain his title in Los Angeles.

1950 — Jim Hardy throws six touchdown passes, including five to Bob Shaw, as the Chicago Cardinals pound the Baltimore Colts 55-13.

1970 — Fourteen members of the Wichita State football team are killed in a plane crash in the Rocky Mountains.

1980 — Larry Holmes registers a technical knockout in the 11th round against Muhammad Ali to win the world heavyweight title in Las Vegas.

1983 — The Green Bay Packers score 49 points in the first half, including 35 in the second quarter, in a 55-14 rout of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

1988 — Future world heavyweight boxing champion Lennox Lewis, representing Canada, wins super-heavyweight gold medal at the Seoul Olympics; beats American Riddick Bowe by 2nd round TKO.

1991 — Steffi Graf becomes the youngest woman to win 500 matches as a pro when she beats Petra Langrova of Czechoslovakia 6-0, 6-1 in the Leipzig International Tournament.

1993 — In the first all-British world heavyweight title fight, Lennox Lewis retains his WBC heavyweight title with a seven-round knockout of Frank Bruno in Cardiff, Wales.

1993 — California rallies from a 30-0 deficit to beat Oregon 42-41. Dave Barr throws three second-half touchdowns, including a 26-yarder to Iheanyi Uwaezuoke with 1:17 left in the game.

1994 — North Carolina’s 92-game winning streak in women’s soccer ends with a scoreless tie in overtime against Notre Dame.

1994 — Don Shula’s Miami Dolphins beat son Dave’s Cincinnati Bengals 23-7 in the first meeting between father and son coaches in pro sports.

2004 — Rice and San Jose State play in the highest-scoring regulation game in Division I-A history, with the Spartans winning 70-63. The 133 points surpass the total from Middle Tennessee’s 70-58 victory over Idaho on Oct. 6, 2001. The schools combine for 19 touchdowns to break the Division I-A record of 18.

2006 — Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth is given a five-game suspension — the longest for on-field behavior in NFL history — for stomping on Dallas Cowboys center Andre Gurode’s head and kicking him in the face.

2009 — Ninth-grader Alexis Thompson shoots a 3-under 69 for a share of the lead with top-ranked Lorena Ochoa and three others after the second round of the Navistar LPGA Classic.

2011 — Dallas has its largest lead blown in a loss in franchise history, frittering away a 24-point third-quarter cushion in a 34-30 loss to Detroit. The Lions turned a 20-point halftime deficit into an overtime win at Minnesota the previous week.

2016 — The United States win the Ryder Cup for the first time since 2008. Ryan Moore two-putts on No. 18 for a 1-up victory over Lee Westwood, giving the Americans a 15-10 lead that seals the win over Europe. The 17-11 victory over Europe is their biggest rout in 35 years at the Ryder Cup.

2016 — Atlanta’s Matt Ryan passes for 503 yards and four touchdowns, while wide receiver Julio Jones has 12 catches for 300 yards and a touchdown in Atlanta’s 48-33 win over Carolina.

THIS DAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY

1908 — Addie Joss of the Cleveland Indians pitched a perfect game, defeating the Chicago White Sox, 1-0.

1916 — Grover Alexander pitched a 2-0 three-hitter against the Boston Braves for his 16th shutout and 33rd victory of the season.

1920 — The only tripleheader in this century was played, with the Cincinnati Reds defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first two games. The Pirates won the nightcap, which was called after six innings because of darkness.

1938 — Bob Feller struck out 18 Detroit Tigers to set a single-game record that stood until Steve Carlton broke it in 1969.

1968 — Bob Gibson set a World Series record by striking out 17 Detroit Tigers in Game 1.

1978 — In a one-game playoff for the AL East title, Bucky Dent hit a three-run homer off Mike Torrez to lead the New York Yankees to a 5-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.

1986 — Dwight Gooden of the New York Mets became the first pitcher in baseball to strike out 200 batters in each of his first three seasons as he fanned seven en route to an 8-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

1991 — The Toronto Blue Jays clinched the American League East title and became the first team in sports history to draw four million fans in one season.

1995 — The Seattle Mariners, behind Randy Johnson’s three-hitter, beat the Angels 9-1 in a one-game playoff for the AL West title.

2001 — Sammy Sosa, Chicago Cubs, becomes the first player in MLB history to hit 60 home runs in three seasons.

2005 — Roy Oswalt got his 20th win to lead the Houston Astros over the Chicago Cubs 6-4, clinching the NL wild-card berth and capping a historic comeback. Houston started the season 15-30 and became the first team since the 1914 Boston Braves to make the postseason after falling 15 games under .500.

2009 — B.J. Upton became the first player in Tampa Bay history to hit for the cycle. He went 5 for 5 with a career-high six RBIs in a 13-4 win over the New York Yankees.

2013 — Tampa Bay posted another must-have win on the road, beating the Cleveland Indians 4-0 in the AL wild-card game. The Rays playing in their third city over four days advanced to the best-of-five division series.

2016 — Baltimore’s Matt Wieters homered from both sides of the plate and Kevin Gausman gave the Orioles a clutch pitching performance to beat the New York Yankees 5-2 and snag a playoff spot on the final day of the regular season.

2016 — Vin Scully called his final Dodgers game after a record 67 seasons.

2018 — Tony Wolters hit a tiebreaking single with two outs in the 13th inning, and the Colorado Rockies beat the Chicago Cubs 2-1 in an epic NL wild-card game.

Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time…

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at [email protected]. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman often refers to the playoffs as the “theater of October.”

On the first day of the month Wednesday night, Game 2 of the National League wild-card series was only four batters old when the Dodgers had some dramatic adversity strike.

With two outs in the top of the first, Yoshinobu Yamamoto induced a routine fly ball down the right-field line. Outfielder Teoscar Hernández positioned himself under it. Ninety-nine percent of the time, the inning would have ended there.

This time, however, Hernández committed a horrifying mistake. The ball hit off the heel of his mitt. The Cincinnati Reds suddenly had runners at second and third base. And what should have been a clean opening frame instead turned into a two-run disaster, with Sal Stewart slapping a single through the infield in the next at-bat.

For the Dodgers, it was an immediate test.

Of their mental resolve after a self-inflicted miscue. Of their veteran composure in the face of an early deficit. Of the kind of resiliency that was so key in their World Series run last year, and will need to be again for them to repeat as champions.

In an eventual 8-4 comeback victory, they successfully, triumphantly and assuredly passed.

Behind 6 ⅔ clutch innings from Yamamoto, a go-ahead two-run rally in the fourth inning keyed by a Kiké Hernández double, and a back-breaking four-run explosion in the sixth after Yamamoto had escaped a bases-loaded jam, the Dodgers eliminated the Reds in this best-of-three opening round.

Despite another late tightrope act from the bullpen, which gave up two runs in the eighth before Roki Sasaki finished things off in the ninth, the team booked their place in the NL Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Dodgers did not make it easy on themselves. They were dealt a full range of October theatrics. But they prevailed nonetheless with a hard-fought victory — the kind that could catapult them into the rest of this month.

Facing their early 2-0 deficit, the Dodgers never panicked.

Ben Rortvedt doubles during the third inning against the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

The turnaround started with Yamamoto, who finally ended the first inning by striking out Elly De La Cruz, then didn’t let another runner reach base for the next four innings.

The offense, meanwhile, chipped away at veteran Reds right-hander Zack Littell, stressing him with constant early traffic before eventually breaking through in the third, when Ben Rortvedt sliced a leadoff double down the left-field line and Mookie Betts scored him with an RBI single.

The Dodgers then went in front in the fourth, thanks to a big swing from a familiar postseason hero. After a leadoff single from Max Muncy, Kiké Hernández smacked an elevated fastball into the right-center field gap. Muncy scored all the way from first to tie the game. Hernández, whom the Dodgers have re-signed each of the past two offseasons thanks largely to his playoff reputation, had his latest moment of fall-time magic.

Hernández would come around to score in the next at-bat, when Miguel Rojas dumped a base hit inside the right-field line.

From there, the score remained 3-2 until the sixth inning — when the game climaxed in two memorable sequences.

First, Yamamoto had to wiggle out of red-alarm danger, facing a bases-loaded jam with no outs after the Reds led off with three-straight singles. At that point, the right-hander’s pitch count was climbing. Blake Treinen started to get loose in the bullpen. But manager Dave Roberts, as he promised entering the playoffs, kept his faith in his starter.

Yamamoto rewarded him for it.

After Austin Hays bounced a grounder to Betts that the shortstop threw home for a forceout, Yamamoto slammed the door with back-to-back strikeouts. Stewart fanned on one curveball. De La Cruz couldn’t check his swing on another. Yamamoto celebrated with a primal scream. A crowd of 50,465 erupted around him.

The cheers continued into the bottom half of the inning, as the Dodgers finally pulled away with an outburst from their offense. It started with a single from Kiké Hernández, marking his second-straight two-hit game to begin these playoffs. It was aided by a throwing error from Stewart at first base, allowing Rortvedt to reach safely and put runners on the corners. Shohei Ohtani then knocked in one insurance run on an RBI single. Betts added another with a one-hopper that got past third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes for an RBI double.

And fittingly, it was Teoscar Hernández who delivered the death blow, following an intentional walk to Freddie Freeman with a two-run, bases-loaded, redemption-rich double.

The Dodgers eventually stretched the lead to 8-2, when Betts drove in his third run of the game with his third double of the night in the bottom of the seventh — giving him four total hits in a contest for the third time in his career.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts speaks with pitcher Emmet Sheehan before removing him from the game in the eighth inning Wednesday.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Then came the bullpen, which once again thrust itself into danger after Emmet Sheehan gave up two runs in the eighth on two singles and two walks; his command so shaky, Roberts decided to pull him in the middle of an at-bat against Will Benson after he nearly plunked the batter in an 0-and-2 count.

However, it was mostly smooth sailing from there. Alex Vesia took over, and retired the side by striking out two of three batters (even though there was another walk in-between).

The ninth inning, meanwhile, belonged to Sasaki, who retired the side in order with 100-mph fastballs and his trademark splitter, ending a night of theatrics by sending the Dodgers to the next round.

One way to keep Dodger relievers from ruining the team’s postseason run is to keep the bullpen gate closed for as long as possible.

Blake Snell gave that strategy a whirl in Game 1 of the National League wild-card series Tuesday, pitching a solid — sometimes brilliant —- seven innings. But even then he and his teammates had to wait out the nightly bullpen meltdown before escaping with a 10-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series.

“Blake was fantastic tonight,” manager Dave Roberts said. “You could see he was in complete control. The fastball was great. The change-up was plus.

“Kind of mixing and matching and he really was in control the entire game.”

The bullpen? Not so much. But we’ll get to that in a minute.

For Snell, it was that mixing and matching that made him so tough, Cincinnati manager Terry Francona said.

“The big difference-maker was his change-up,” Francona said. “It was his ability to manipulate the change-up, even vary it. He’d throw one that was 87 [mph] and one that was 82. And he threw two, three, four in a row at times at times, all different speeds.

“You throw a 97 [mph fastball] in there, and it becomes difficult.”

Snell was efficient from the start, retiring the side in the first on seven pitches. He set down the first eight Reds in order, then after giving up a double and walk in the third, retired the next 10 in a row, allowing him to pitch deep into the game.

Given the bullpen’s continued struggles, that’s likely to be a blueprint the Dodgers will continue to follow in the playoffs.

“It felt good to go deep in the ballgame,” said Snell, whose seven innings matched a season high. “I felt really in control, I could read swings and just kind of navigate through the lineup.

Dodgers fans cheer for Blake Snell as he walks off the mound in the fifth inning.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

“The deeper that the starters go in the game, it means we’re pitching good. But it means you’re giving the bullpen a break. So it just makes for a different game that favors us.”

Tuesday’s start was Snell’s 11th, for three teams, in the postseason. But it was his first since 2022. Getting back to October was one reason why the left-hander signed with the Dodgers 10 months ago (the five-year $182-million contract the team was offered was another reason).

“It’s awesome,” said Snell, who was wearing a blue hoodie emblazoned with the Dodgers playoff slogan “Built For Fall” across the front. “There’s nothing better than pitching a postseason game in front of your home crowd. To be able to enjoy that, it meant a lot.”

And Snell took advantage, breezing into the seventh having given up just a hit. He didn’t give up a run until Elly De La Cruz’s fielder’s choice grounder with two out in the inning.

De La Cruz would score the Reds’ second run on Tyler Stephenson’s double three pitches later.

Snell got the next hitter to end the threat, with the seven innings pitched marking a career playoff best. He had matched his playoff high with nine strikeouts by the sixth inning, which he needed just 70 pitches to complete. He wound up throwing 91 pitches, giving up four hits and a walk, before Roberts went to the bullpen to start the eighth, with predictable results.

Alex Vesia was the first man through the gate and he retired just one of the three batters he faced. He was followed by flamethrower Edgardo Henriquez, who walked the first two hitters and gave up a hit to the third, forcing in two runs.

Jack Dreyer was next and he walked in another run. After entering the inning down by eight runs, Cincinnati brought the tying run to the on-deck circle with one out.

Dreyer eventually settled down, retiring the side, but the three pitchers needed 59 pitches — and 30 minutes — to get through the inning. By the time Blake Treinen came on to finish things off, starter Emmet Sheehan had started warming up.

All told, Roberts needed four relievers to get the final six outs, leaving the Dodgers hoping for a Snell-like performance from Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 2 on Wednesday to avoid straining the bullpen further.

“Those guys are on their heels with the lead we have,” Roberts said of the Reds entering the eighth inning. “When you start being too fine and getting behind, you start giving them free bases, that’s how you can build innings and get momentum. So that’s what I saw in that inning there for sure.

“If we don’t feel comfortable using certain guys with an eight-run lead, then we’ve got to think through some things.”

Maybe Snell will get a chance to finish what he starts next time out. It’s certainly no worse than the alternative.

This isn’t a series, it’s calisthenics.

The Dodgers shouldn’t be here battling baseball’s junior varsity, and they know it, and they’re intent on pounding and pitching their way out of this embarrassing situation as quickly as possible.

Wild card round? The defending champions are nobody’s wild card.

The Cincinnati Reds? Human byes.

October came a day early to Chavez Ravine Tuesday and the shouldn’t-be-here Dodgers welcomed it with their annoyance, tying a club postseason record with five homers and dismantling the Reds 10-5 in the opener of a three-game wild-card series that should be mercifully completed by midweek.

The Dodgers finished 10 games ahead of the Reds in the standings, and won five out of six during the regular season, and only got lumped with the pretenders when their bullpen fell apart and they blew a chance at having the week off.

If the Dodgers had taken care of business they would have finished with one of the two best records in the National League and would have drawn a first-round bye as they did the previous three seasons. But, no, they finished behind Milwaukee and Philadelphia and so, even though they claimed the National League West title for the 12th time in 13 years, they were forced into a three-games-at-home wild card round.

Hello, Reds.

Good-bye, Reds.

The Dodgers will sweep this series with a win in Game 2 Wednesday, and considering they’re sending ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto to the mound, a victory seems likely. In any event, there’s no way the Reds are winning two straight at rollicking Dodger Stadium, so book your attention to Philadelphia this weekend for the beginning of the five-game division series against the Phillies.

The only way the Reds made it this far was because the New York Mets lost in Miami on the final day of the season. And if Tuesday was any indication, there’s no way the Reds are getting out of here alive.

The Dodgers knocked them backward on the game’s fifth pitch with a scorching home run by Shohei Ohtani against Reds ace Hunter Greene, the second consecutive year Ohtani has started the Dodgers postseason with a longball.

The Dodgers knocked them flat two innings later with four runs on homers by last season’s playoff heroes Teoscar Hernández and Tommy Edman.

The game was over within its first hour, and the Dodgers were just getting started.

Hernández later added a second home run and, oh yeah, so did Ohtani, and neither qualified as the game’s hero.

That title belonged to starter Blake Snell, who fooled the Reds into quick swings, wild swings, silly swings, and just four hits with nine strikeouts in seven innings. Perhaps just as important, he lasted 91 pitches, allowing Dodger Manager Dave Roberts to stay out the dreaded bullpen as long as humanely possible.

Of course, Roberts had to eventually crack that left-field door, and disaster very nearly occurred when three Dodger relievers accounted for four walks that led to three eighth-inning runs. But Jack Dreyer managed to get two outs with the bases loaded and Blake Treinen finished the game by allowing just a bloop single in the ninth.

It turns out, even the weakest part of this Dodger team was enough to eventually quiet the visitors, who shouldn’t be here too much longer.

It’s almost as if the Reds were intimidated even before the game began, as the Dodgers buried them in their thickest pregame brine.

Ice Cube was on the video board screaming that it’s time for Dodger baseball. Mariachi Joe Kelly was on the mound delighting the roaring crowd with a ceremonial first pitch that appropriately bounced. Keith Williams Jr. was bringing the chills with his usual falsetto-laden national anthem.

Jason Alexander was on the video board begging the fans to cheer louder… wait a minute. Jason Alexander? Didn’t his Seinfeld character work for the New York Yankees? What was he doing in the heart of Dodgerland? No wonder the fans were ignoring him.

Alexander’s appearance was the only mistake on a night that gave hope that the Dodgers’ late-season steam — they finished 9-2 and led the league in scoring in the final weeks — could carry them far past this miserable little first-round dalliance.

“Momentum is real,” Roberts said, later adding, “I think that whether it’s the Rangers find their way into the postseason to then win the World Series or some team finishing hot and remaining hot or in a particular game, I do believe in a postseason game, momentum is real.”

As usual at Chavez Ravine, that momentum built as the game went along, rare empty seats in the stands but full-throated scream from the fans, yet another reason the Dodgers blew it by not getting home-field advantage in later rounds.

“I do love being at home because a lot of times that’s what perpetuates it, the home crowd, the energy,” said Roberts.

But, seriously, about that bullpen…

Before the game, Dodgers baseball boss Andrew Friedman bravely faced the question of his bullpen, a mess that he created with poor winter signings and unwise midseason inactivity.

Not surprisingly, he defended his guys.

“They’ve had stretches of good, they’ve had some stretches where it’s been really tough and challenging,” he acknowledged. “At the end of the day, as we’re working through it the last couple of weeks, it’s not a talent issue.”

In other words, they’re competent relievers just going through a bad, awful, horrible, season-altering stretch?

“Relievers, kind of like place kickers, are tightrope walkers,” Friedman said. “It’s what they do for a living. They do well, people forget about them. They don’t do well and they’re in the ire of everything. So it’s tough.”

Friedman said it’s a matter of confidence, which is understandable when a group gets hammered all season like these guys.

“And when the confidence is wavering, the execution is off,” Friedman said. “When the execution is off, you get behind and you come in zone and you’re just more likely to take on damage. So it’s kind of that imperfect storm in a lot of ways.”

Storm, is right. What kind of bullpen fools around with an eight-run lead, as the Dodgers reliever did Tuesday night when threatening to ruin everything?

The bullpen survived, but for how long? This series may soon be over, but Philadelphia awaits. This first step into October was an impressive one. It will also be the easiest one.

“I don’t see where Wirtz gets into the team,” ex-England captain Wayne Rooney said on The Wayne Rooney Show. “I think it was a lot of money. I think Wirtz actually damages the balance of Liverpool and how they play.

“He’s a top player and I’m sure he will get better – but he’s had a slow start and I think there’s no denying that.”

Wirtz’s current struggles are not down to a shortage of endeavour. He attempted more dribbles or shots on goal than anyone else for Liverpool in Istanbul. He will hope his hard work is rewarded soon.

Liverpool statistics also back up the theory they are now easier to get at, needing late goals against Bournemouth, Newcastle , Arsenal, Burnley, Atletico Madrid in the Champions League and Southampton in the Carabao Cup. They also conceded two-goal leads against Bournemouth, Newcastle and Atletico.

And, again, you can compare the start of this season to the beginning of last – they have had only two clean sheets in 10 games this season having kept six in their first 10 last season.

“Right now they’re not there yet,” said ex-Liverpool forward Daniel Sturridge on Amazon Prime. “When you look at the way they’re playing right now they’re not the same team as last year. You can see the chemistry is not right at this present moment in this time – but they have plenty of time to get it right. It’s not panic stations.”

Slot, perfectly understandably, delivered measured perspective as he said: “We are not so far off the level shown last season. This is sometimes what the schedule can bring, Galatasaray is not a simple game. We now play Chelsea away, a difficult game.

“The margins are small and they were last season. For the second time in a row we are on the wrong side.

“I saw a lot of things in the first half, but the second half was much less. I don’t think in the second half there was a lot of playing time, their striker was on the floor four or five times. It was difficult to get momentum in the game.”

For all that, however, the sense of calm control and composure that was the hallmark of Liverpool’s title win has been lost – and was missing again the fierce surroundings of Istanbul.

Despite missing the last three weeks of the season with a fracture on his right hand, catcher Will Smith was included on the Dodgers’ roster for their best-of-three wild card series against the Cincinnati Reds this week, the team announced ahead of Game 1 on Tuesday.

It was not immediately clear if Smith would be able to start Game 1 at Dodger Stadium. Ben Rortvedt was also on the roster, and is expected to start behind the plate if Smith can’t go.

Still, even having Smith’s presence as a potential pinch-hitter will be a boon for the team, which was bracing to begin the playoffs without the two-time All-Star before he made late progress this week in his recovery from his hand injury.

Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, who both missed time last week with minor injuries, were also on the roster as expected.

The other big development from Tuesday’s roster announcement was the absence of outfielder Michael Conforto, the $17 million offseason signing who struggled mightily for much of the regular season but had continued to get playing time through the end of the schedule.

Conforto hit only .199 this season, the lowest mark of any hitter with 450 plate appearances. He also managed just 12 home runs (a full-season career-low), 36 RBIs and struck out 121 times (albeit while drawing 56 walks and keeping his on-base-percentage above .300).

Conforto did finish the season better, batting .228 with a .678 OPS after July 1 and going 15-for-61 (.246 average) in September. As a left-handed hitter, he also appeared to have potential value off the bench.

However, the Dodgers elected to roster trade deadline acquisition Alex Call and defensive specialist Justin Dean (who finished the season in the minors) on their wild card roster. They also kept infielder Hyeseong Kim, who is a speed threat but has been equally inconsistent from the left side of the plate down the stretch.

There were few surprises among the Dodgers’ pitching staff, which included only 11 arms (not including two-way player Shohei Ohtani) for this abbreviated opening-round series.

Rookie phenom Roki Sasaki, who returned from a shoulder injury and impressed in two late-season relief appearances, was on the roster as manager Dave Roberts had hinted the day before.

So too were right-handed veteran Blake Treinen and embattled left-handed closer Tanner Scott, who were major disappointments in late-inning roles this year but flashed some improvement in the final days of the regular season.

The rest of the Dodgers’ bullpen includes converted right-handed starters Tyler Glasnow (who will likely return to the rotation if the team advances to the division series) and Emmet Sheehan, hard-throwing rookie right-hander Edgardo Henriquez, and three other left-handed options in addition to Scott: Alex Vesia, Jack Dreyer and Justin Wrobleski.

Anthony Banda was the only snub from the team’s regular-season roster. Clayton Kerhsaw was also left off the roster as expected, but could have a role in future rounds if the Dodgers advance.

Hi and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell, and our long regular-season journey has ended with more October baseball.

The Cincinnati Reds won the final wild-card spot and will face the Dodgers in a best-of-three wild-card series starting today at 6 p.m. at Dodger Stadium. The game will be televised on ESPN; in fact, all three games will be at 6 p.m. on ESPN (and on the usual Dodgers radio stations).

On paper, the Dodgers should beat the Reds, but we all know what that is worth.

Let’s take a look at how the two teams compare and where they ranked among the 30 teams:

Batting

Runs per game
Dodgers, 5.09 (2nd)
MLB average, 4.45
Reds, 4.42 (14th)

Batting average
Dodgers, .253 (5th)
MLB average, .245
Reds, .245 (18th)

On-base %
Dodgers, .327 (5th)
MLB average, .315
Reds, .315 (16th)

Slugging %
Dodgers, .441 (2nd)
MLB average, .404
Reds, .391 (21st)

Doubles
MLB average, 258
Dodgers, 257 (13th)
Reds, 250 (18th)

Triples
Reds, 23 (10th)
MLB average, 21
Dodgers, 21 (T12th)

Home runs
Dodgers, 244 (2nd)
MLB average, 188
Reds, 167 (21st)

Walks
Dodgers, 580 (2nd)
Reds, 527 (12th)
MLB average, 513

Strikeouts
Reds, 1,415 (9th)
MLB average, 1,355
Dodgers, 1,353 (16th)

Stolen bases
MLB average, 115
Reds, 105 (19th)
Dodgers, 88 (T21st)

Sacrifice bunts
MLB average, 19
Dodgers, 13 (T20th)
Reds, 12 (24th)

Batting average with two out and runners in scoring position
Dodgers, .271 (1st)
MLB average, .233
Reds, .208 (28th)

Pitching

ERA
Reds, 3.86 (12th)
Dodgers, 3.95 (16th)
MLB average, 4.15

Rotation ERA
Dodgers, 3.69 (5th)
Reds, 3.85 (9th)
MLB average, 4.21

Bullpen ERA
Reds, 3.89 (14th)
MLB average, 4.08
Dodgers, 4.27 (20th)

FIP (click here for explainer)
Dodgers, 3.93 (7th)
Reds, 4.11 (18th)
MLB average, 4.16

Walks
Dodgers, 563 (5th)
MLB average, 513
Reds, 494 (20th)

Strikeouts
Dodgers, 1,505 (1st)
MLB average, 1,355
Reds, 1,380 (13th)

Saves
Dodgers, 46 (5th)
Reds, 41 (T15th)
MLB average, 40

Blown saves
Dodgers, 27 (T7th)
MLB average, 24
Reds, 22 (16th)

Inherited runners who scored %
Dodgers, 26.1% (3rd)
MLB average, 31.8%
Reds, 31.8% (14th)

Relief innings
Dodgers, 657.2 (1st)
MLB average, 595
Reds, 569.1 (25th)

Relief wins
Dodgers, 44 (T1st)
MLB average, 33
Reds, 30 (20th)

Relief losses
Dodgers, 33 (T7th)
Reds, 30 (11th)
MLB average, 29

The players

When comparing the main players on the teams, keep in mind that players can move around depending on who is starting and managerial whim. Gavin Lux, for example, has started at left field, DH and second base for the Reds. For a full look at the Reds statistically, click here.

DH
Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani. .282/.392/.622, 25 doubles, 55 homers, 102 RBIs
Reds, Miguel Andujar, .359/.400/.544, 7 doubles, 4 homers, 17 RBIs

Catcher
Dodgers, Will Smith, .296/.404/.497, 20 doubles, 17 homers, 61 RBIs
Dodgers, Ben Rortvedt, .224/.309/.327, 2 doubles, 1 homer, 4 RBIs
Reds, Jose Trevino, .238/.272/.351, 20 doubles, 4 homers, 22 RBIs
Reds, Tyler Stephenson, .231/.316/.421, 18 doubles, 13 homers, 50 RBIs

First base
Dodgers, Freddie Freeman, .295/.367/.502, 39 doubles, 24 homers, 90 RBIs
Reds, Spencer Steer, .238/.312/.411, 21 doubles, 21 homers, 75 RBIs
Reds, Sal Stewart, .255/.293/.545, 1 double, 5 homers, 8 RBIs

Second base
Dodgers, Miguel Rojas, .262/.318/.397, 18 doubles, 7 homers, 27 RBIs
Dodgers, Kiké Hernández, .203/.255/.366, 8 doubles, 10 homers, 35 RBIs
Reds, Matt McLain, .220/.300/.343, 18 doubles, 15 homers, 50 RBIs

Third base
Dodgers, Max Muncy, .243/.376/.470, 10 doubles, 19 homers, 67 RBIs
Reds, Ke’Bryan Hayes, .234/.315/.342, 6 doubles, 3 homers, 13 RBIs

Shortstop
Dodgers, Mookie Betts, .258/.326/.406, 23 doubles, 20 homers, 82 RBIs
Reds, Elly De La Cruz, .264/.336/.440, 31 doubles, 22 homers, 86 RBIs

Left field
Dodgers, Michael Conforto, .199/.305/.333, 20 doubles, 12 homers, 36 RBIs
Reds, Gavin Lux, .269/.350/.374, 28 doubles, 5 homers, 53 RBIs

Note: Lately, when a left-hander is on the mound, Steer moves from first to left, Stewart starts at first and Lux hits the bench.

Center field
Dodgers, Andy Pages, .272/.313/.461, 27 doubles, 27 homers, 86 RBIs
Dodgers, Tommy Edman, .225/.274/.382, 13 doubles, 13 homers, 49 RBIs
Reds, TJ Friedl, .261/.364/.378, 22 doubles, 14 homers, 53 RBIs

Right field
Dodgers, Teoscar Hernández, .247/.284/.454, 29 doubles, 25 homers, 89 RBIs
Reds, Noelvy Marté, .263/.300/.448, 17 doubles, 14 homers, 51 RBIs

The three probable starting pitchers

Dodgers
*Blake Snell, 5-4, 2.35 ERA, 61.1 IP, 51 hits, 26 walks, 72 K’s
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 12-8, 2.49 ERA, 173.2 IP, 113 hits, 59 walks, 201 K’s
Shohei Ohtani, 1-1, 2.87 ERA, 47 IP, 40 hits, 9 walks, 62 K’s

Reds
Hunter Greene, 7-3, 2.76 ERA, 107.2 IP, 75 hits, 26 walks, 132 K’s
*Andrew Abbott, 10-7, 2.87 ERA, 166.1 IP, 148 hits, 43 walks, 149 K’s
*Nick Lodolo, 9-8, 3.33 ERA, 156.2 IP, 138 hits, 31 walks, 56 K’s

The main relievers

Reds
Emilio Pagán, 2-4, 2.88 ERA, 32 saves, 68.2 IP, 41 hits, 22 walks, 81 K’s
Tony Santillan, 1-5, 2.44 ERA, 7 saves, 73.2 IP, 53 hits, 29 walks, 75 K’s
*Brent Suter, 1-2, 4.52 ERA, 67.2 IP, 69 hits, 18 walks, 53 K’s

Dodgers
Tanner Scott, 1-4, 4.74 ERA, 23 saves, 57 IP, 54 hits, 18 walks, 60 K’s
*Alex Vesia, 4-2, 3.02 ERA, 5 saves, 59.2 IP, 37 hits, 22 walks, 80 K’s
Emmet Sheehan, 6-3, 2.82 ERA, 73.1 IP, 49 hits, 22 walks, 89 K’s
Blake Treinen, 2-7. 5.40 ERA, 26.2 IP, 30 hits, 19 walks, 36 K’s

The wild-card roster

We know Clayton Kershaw will not be on the wild-card roster, as Dave Roberts announced that over the weekend.

Will Smith is still dealing with a hairline fracture of his right hand. Will he be able to play in the wild-card series? That’s a big question. And if they put him on the roster and have to take him off because he is too injured, then he would also have to sit out the next round.

Max Muncy is ready for the wild-card series; they were just being judicious with his playing time to protect the various sore body parts he has right now.

Brock Stewart won’t be on it. He’s having season-ending shoulder surgery.

Who makes it among Alex Call, Michael Conforto and Hyeseong Kim? If Smith makes the roster, do they add Dalton Rushing as a third catcher? Do they put Tyler Glasnow in the bullpen for this round or go with a true reliever?

Who’s going to win?

The Dodgers have been playing some of their best baseball lately, going 15-5 in their last 20 games. The Reds are a good team, but I think the Dodgers will get past them. Prediction: Dodgers in two.

The folks at baseball-reference.com simulated the postseason 1,000 times, and this is how many times each team won the World Series:

Milwaukee, 216
Philadelphia, 191
Toronto, 134
Seattle, 125
Boston, 68
New York, 52
San Diego, 46
Dodgers, 44
Cleveland, 38
Chicago, 37
Cincinnati, 25
Detroit, 24

Nice moment

Since he is not on the wild-card roster, Clayton Kershaw pitched what could be his final game Sunday in Seattle. He struck out the final batter he faced.

Striking him out seemed apropos, since a strikeout is what put Kershaw on the scene with Dodgers fans.

It was spring training of 2008, and the game was on TV, on a station where everyone could watch it (the good old days). Most fans knew Kershaw was a highly touted prospect, the seventh overall pick in the 2006 draft. But that’s all they knew.

And then Kershaw came in to pitch. Back then, fans didn’t trust anything unless it was told to them by Vin Scully, who was in the booth for the game. Kershaw was wearing not No. 22, but No. 96, as he wasn’t expected to make the team.

Scully was recounting Kershaw’s many accomplishments in high school and the minors when Sean Casey of the Boston Red Sox came up to the plate. Casey was a career .302 hitter, so he was no slouch at the plate. Kershaw got two strikes on him, then broke off his famous 12-to-6 curve. Casey’s knees buckled. Scully said

“Oh, what a curveball. Holy mackerel! He just broke off Public Enemy No. 1. Look at this thing. It’s up here, it’s down there and Casey’s history.”

People were talking about it the next day. “Did you see Kershaw yesterday? Did you hear what Vin said?”

That began the legend of Clayton Kershaw. Hopefully, there’s at least one more magical moment left.

Remember them?

The Dodgers used 25 position players and 40 pitchers this season (some, such as Kiké Hernández and Shohei Ohtani, did both). Do you remember them all? Here’s they are, listed in order of plate appearances and innings pitched.

Position players
Shohei Ohtani
Mookie Betts
Freddie Freeman
Andy Pages
Teoscar Hernández
Michael Conforto
Will Smith
Max Muncy
Tommy Edman
Miguel Rojas
Kiké Hernández
Hyeseong Kim
Dalton Rushing
Alex Freeland
Alex Call
Ben Rortvedt
Austin Barnes
James Outman
Chris Taylor
Esteury Ruiz
Buddy Kennedy
Eddie Rosario
Hunter Feduccia
Chuckie Robinson
Justin Dean

Pitchers
Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Clayton Kershaw
Dustin May
Tyler Glasnow
Ben Casparius
Jack Dreyer
Emmet Sheehan
Justin Wrobleski
Anthony Banda
Blake Snell
Alex Vesia
Tanner Scott
Shohei Ohtani
Kirby Yates
Landon Knack
Roki Sasaki
Tony Gonsolin
Matt Sauer
Luis García
Blake Treinen
Lou Trivino
Edgardo Henriquez
Will Klein
Michael Kopech
Alexis Díaz
Noah Davis
Evan Phillips
Kiké Hernández
Miguel Rojas
Bobby Miller
Yoendrys Gómez
Chris Stratton
Brock Stewart
Jack Little
José Ureña
Ryan Loutos
Paul Gervase
J.P. Feyereisen
Julian Fernández
Andrew Heaney

Up next

Tuesday: Cincinnati (Hunter Greene, 7-4, 2.76 ERA) at Dodgers (*Blake Snell, 5-4, 2.35 ERA), 6 p.m., ESPN LA, AM 570, KTMZ 1220

Wednesday: Cincinnati (TBD) at Dodgers (TBD), 6 p.m., ESPN, AM 570, KTMZ 1220

Thursday: Cincinnati (TBD) at Dodgers (TBD), 6 p.m., ESPN, AM 570, KTMZ 1220

*-left-handed

The other postseason games

In case you want to watch how the other teams are doing:

Tuesday
Detroit at Cleveland, 10 a.m., ESPN
San Diego at Chicago, noon, ABC
Boston at New York, 3 p.m., ESPN

Wednesday
Detroit at Cleveland, 10 a.m., ESPN
San Diego at Chicago, noon, ABC
Boston at New York, 3 p.m., ESPN

Thursday*
Detroit at Cleveland, 10 a.m., ESPN
San Diego at Chicago, noon, ABC
Boston at New York, 3 p.m., ESPN

*-if necessary

Note: Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Toronto and Seattle have first-round byes.

In case you missed it

Dodgers feel an urgency to deliver another World Series title to L.A.

‘That’s why I came here.’ Dodgers bet on Blake Snell’s potential as a postseason ace

Dodgers-Reds wild-card preview | Dodgers Debate

Nine concerns the Dodgers should have about facing the Reds in the NL wild-card series

Plaschke: Dodgers hero Kirk Gibson now tries to be a hero for those battling Parkinson’s disease

Dodgers find out Brock Stewart won’t return this season before win over Mariners

World Series hangover? Dodgers feel battle-tested for October by repeat challenges

And finally

Freddie Freeman removes Clayton Kershaw from his final regular-season start. Watch and listen here.

Until next time…

Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at [email protected]. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he would be scoreboard watching on Sunday afternoon.

But he insisted he didn’t care how things played out.

His team, of course, had already been locked in as the National League’s No. 3 seed, set to host a best-of-three wild card series at Dodger Stadium starting Tuesday.

What wasn’t clear until the end of play on Sunday, however, was whether the Dodgers would be facing the Cincinnati Reds or New York Mets to open the postseason.

“I honestly don’t really care, I really don’t,” Roberts said. “I think the way we’re playing right now, it doesn’t matter who we play.”

In a photo finish for the NL’s final wild-card berth, it was the Reds who earned the final ticket to the postseason, clinching in spite of their Sunday loss to the Milwaukee Brewers thanks to the Mets’ defeat in Miami at the hand of the Marlins.

Thus, it will be the Reds coming to Chavez Ravine this week, trying to halt the Dodgers’ defense of last year’s championship.

“It’s a gritty group. It’s a hungry group. It’s certainly a younger group,” Roberts said after the matchup was set. “These guys are going to be coming in to win a series. They’re feeling really good about themselves. So we’ve got to focus on ourselves and take it to them.”

Here are nine things to know about the Reds ahead of Game 1 at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday at 6:08 p.m. (ESPN):