Dodgers ride a big NL wild-card win into the NLDS, opening with Shohei Ohtani on the hill against Cristopher Sánchez at Citizens Bank Park. Ohtani’s two-way dominance sets the tone as Los Angeles leans on a tweaked lineup and depth to outlast Philadelphia’s ace in a pivotal road start.

Lineup shuffles put Tommy Edman at second, Kiké Hernández at third, Alex Call in left, Andy Pages in center, and Ben Rortvedt catching, with Will Smith on the roster but not yet cleared. The bench—Dalton Rushing, Hyeseong Kim, James Dean—gives Roberts options as the series unfolds.

Reds were swept in the wild-card, turning attention to a tougher test against the Phillies. The Ohtani-Sánchez duel, top-heavy Dodgers offense, and backups ready to contribute shape a high-leverage NLDS that could hinge on Game 1’s early momentum.

Paul Toboni’s arrival as Nationals president of baseball operations signals a strategic reset centered on fixing the catching position and accelerating a 2026 return to contention. Washington plans a trade-focused offseason to upgrade behind the plate, moving beyond Keibert Ruiz and leveraging depth at catcher with an eye toward immediate impact.

Targets surface in the form of high-upside prospects like Dalton Rushing and Harry Ford, with current catchers Riley Adams and Drew Millas as potential trade chips. A 0.2 fWAR from catchers in 2025 underscores the urgency, and the winter will reveal whether the Nats land a ready-made backstop or a fast-tracked package that jump-starts the rebuild.

The overarching aim is a faster, smarter path to relevance in 2026, balancing short-term gains with long-term talent. Fantasy managers should monitor catcher market chatter and how Washington slices its depth to land a game-changing upgrade.

Ben Rortvedt seized a late-season window with the Dodgers, stepping in as injuries mounted and earning a playoff role behind the plate. He stabilized the defense, managed games well, and produced steady offense (batting .224 with three sacrifice bunts) over 18 games, earning the lion’s share of starts when Will Smith wasn’t available. The shift helped Los Angeles lock in a catcher for the wild-card round against Cincinnati.

With Smith limited by a hand fracture and Dalton Rushing still finding his footing, the odyssey of Rortvedt—from Minnesota to New York to Tampa Bay and now Los Angeles—reaches a dramatic postseason turn. His sustained preparation and leadership earned him a playoff starting role, signaling a career renaissance that fans and fantasy managers will be weighing as the Dodgers face the Reds.

Kiké Hernández carried a three-hit day for the Dodgers, delivering the go-ahead two-run double in the ninth to lift Los Angeles past Seattle 5-3. Dalton Rushing tacked on a two-run homer earlier, and the Dodgers pieced it together with a deep bullpen performance to close out the win. Glancing at the box, the late surge came via a Conforto single and a wild pitch that cleared the way for a pivotal scoring frame. The day also highlighted the Mariners’ 30-30 milestone contender, Julio Rodríguez, and kept the Dodgers in prime form for the postseason chase.

Glasnow worked three innings in his final regular-season start, while Gilbert kept the Dodgers at bay through four; the fifth inning saw Dalton Rushing connect for a two-out, two-run shot to break the score. Seattle briefly retook the lead with Polanco’s three-run blast, but a late Dodgers rally—fueled by Conforto, Hernández, and a controlled bullpen—reasserted control. Henríquez locked it down in the ninth, completing a nine-strikeout finish for the relief staff, a nod to a 1920s-era bullpen flourish.

Up next, the Dodgers close out the regular season with Kershaw on the hill against Bryce Miller, as Seattle turns the page toward the postseason. The win underscores Los Angeles’ late-season resilience and the depth of its bullpen, while Seattle’s star duo, Rodríguez and Polanco, left their imprint but couldn’t seal the game in the final frames.

Kiké Hernández delivered a clutch ninth-inning two-run double that flipped the script, lifting the Dodgers to a 5-3 win over Seattle as LA piled up 15 strikeouts and closed with a clean ninth. Dalton Rushing extended the lead with a fifth-inning homer, while Seattle’s Jorge Polanco answered back with a three-run shot. Edgardo Henríquez notched the save as LA stretched its win streak to five and kept a tight hold on head-to-head momentum over the Mariners.