Dodgers strive for 3rd consecutive championship, National League Division Series will face Warriors

Shohei Ohtani. (File photo, Associated Press)

[Sports Center/Comprehensive Report] The defending Dodgers, who are striving for three consecutive championships, will face the Warriors who advanced from the wild card round in the National League Division Series. "ESPN" predicts that the Dodgers have a high chance of advancing to the division championship. However, the Warriors are the Dodgers' most difficult opponent this season. The two sides have met 6 times this season, and the Dodgers have only won 1 and lost 5 times.

"ESPN" pointed out that the key to the Dodgers' ability to win 100 games this season, win the division title for the 13th time in 14 years, and qualify for a first-round bye in the playoffs is the team's amazing lineup depth. Even though Kyle Tucker and Edwin Diaz did not perform as expected in their first season after joining, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Will Smith all missed due to injuries, and Mookie Betts also fell into a slump, the Dodgers still achieved the feat of winning five consecutive division titles.

If the Dodgers want to advance to the National League Championship Series, the performance of Snell, Diaz, Shohei Ohtani, Tucker and Freddie Freeman is very critical. The biggest problem is Shohei Ohtani's physical and hitting condition, which will greatly affect the performance of the Dodgers' line. Ohtani Shohei has performed well against the Warriors in the past, accumulating 96 hits in 25 games, knocking out 30 hits, delivering 6 home runs, 14 RBIs and a batting average of 0.313.

"ESPN" believes that the Dodgers have advantages in defense and preventing points from being conceded this season. The team has above-average team defense and is the team that has conceded the fewest points in the major leagues this season. Except for Ohtani, the Dodgers' main starting pitchers are all currently healthy. In the middle of the season, two-time Cy Young pitcher Tarik Skubal was added, making the starting rotation even more luxurious. In comparison, the Warriors' bullpen is better than the Dodgers. They also showed strong offensive capabilities at critical moments in the wild card series. The players also have rich playoff experience and can seize the opportunity to determine the outcome in the later stages of the game. If the Warriors can really beat the Dodgers, it will definitely be a big upset.