The Philadelphia Phillies had the benefit of a bye from the Wild Card round, but one has to wonder if they lost a little confidence ahead of the NLDS after watching the Los Angeles Dodgers destroy the Cincinnati Reds in their Wild Card series.
My Dodgers vs. Phillies NLDS predictions and MLB picks tell you why Los Angeles is the better bet to advance behind the bat of Shohei Ohtani.
Best Dodgers vs Phillies predictions
Dodgers to win the series (-125 at Caesars)- NLDS to go four games (+150 at Caesars)
- Shohei Ohtani to hit 2+ home runs in series (-110 at Caesars)
Dodgers vs Phillies market snapshot
The Los Angeles Dodgers are the -125 NLDS favorite at Caesars Sportsbook despite being the road team for Games 1, 2, and 5 (if necessary). They're also the +400 favorite in the World Series odds.
The Philadelphia Phillies are listed at +105 to move on to the NLCS, and +475 to win the 2025 Fall Classic.
If you believe the Dodgers will win this series comfortably, you can back them at -1.5 games at +170. Phillies +1.5 games comes back at -210.
There's also an alternate handicap available of Phillies -1.5 at +210, with Dodgers +1.5 at -275.
Dodgers vs Phillies series winner prediction
Pick: Dodgers (-125 at Caesars)
Citizens Bank Park will be the site for Games 1, 2, and 5, but that might actually work out in the Dodgers' favor.
The Phillies will trot out a trio of left-handed starters in Cristopher Sanchez, Jesus Luzardo, and Ranger Suarez. Unfortunately for Philly, L.A. was third in the majors in OPS vs. southpaws in the regular season.
Shohei Ohtani (.898 OPS) was at the forefront of the assault on lefties, with Freddie Freeman (.855 OPS) not far behind. Of course, there's power up and down the Dodgers lineup, which ranked second in runs per game this year (5.14).
There's a notion that the Dodgers will be unable to run with the Phillies once the bullpens come into play, but xERA shows the Phils and Dodgers on even terms since August 1, with L.A. actually outranking Philly 3.61 to 3.68.
A good bullpen means nothing without decent starting pitching, and the Dodgers have that as well with Ohtani getting the nod in Game 1, with Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto expected on regular rest in Games 2 and 3.
Ohtani has allowed only one earned run over his last 19 1/3 innings, while both Snell and Yamamoto have sub-2.50 ERAs on the campaign.
Dodgers vs Phillies total series games prediction
Pick: 4 Games (+150 at Caesars)
I can see the Phillies earning a split at home, either with Ohtani not going deep in Game 1 or Snell's ugly 4.30 ERA on the road rearing its head in Game 2, but I'm not seeing this series leaving L.A. once it gets there. The Dodgers are 21-9 SU in their last 30 home games, postseason included.
A 3-1 Dodgers series win would pay +170 at Caesars (Dodgers -1.5), but this bet offers a little bit of insurance just in case the Phillies pull off the upset. After all, a lineup with Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, and Kyle Schwarber won't simply roll over and die.
Dodgers vs Phillies player prop prediction
Pick: Shohei Ohtani to hit 2+ home runs in series (-110 at Caesars)
This bet could hit in one game, as Ohtani demonstrated in Game 1 of the Wild Card round.
The Dodgers leadoff man will be in line for 20-25 at-bats, unless this NLDS is a clean sweep, but I don't see that happening.
Ohtani hit 55 homers in 611 at-bats this year, or about one homer in every 11 at-bats. We're only asking Ohtani to be just a bit better than average in order to cash this prop special.
