The Cincinnati Reds, the National League’s final wild-card entrant and No. 6 seed, open postseason play tonight against the No. 3 seed Los Angeles Dodgers, winners of the NL West.
Hunter Greene will take the mound for Cincinnati. The 25-year-old right-hander finished the regular season 7–4 with a 2.76 ERA and 132 strikeouts, establishing himself as one of the Reds’ most reliable arms.
Manager Terry Francona announced the Game 1 starting lineup:
TJ Friedl (L), CF
Noelvi Marte (R), RF
Miguel Andújar (R), DH
Austin Hays (R), LF
Spencer Steer (R), 1B
Elly De La Cruz (S), SS
Tyler Stephenson (R), C
Ke’Bryan Hayes (R), 3B
Matt McLain (R), 2B
Francona will also have Gavin Lux, José Treviño and Santiago Espinal available off the bench.
The Reds face a significant challenge against Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell, who is expected to start Game 1. Cincinnati’s will hope to chase Snell early in order to see a Los Angeles bullpen that has been shaky as of late. The Dodgers ranked 10th in bullpen ERA during the regular season at 4.27, the second-worst mark among playoff clubs, ahead of only the New York Yankees.
Andújar could play a key role after hitting .389 with four home runs and 11 RBIs against left-handers this season. Hays was similarly productive, batting .319 with two home runs and 17 RBIs against southpaws.
While Los Angeles enters the series as a heavy favorite, the Reds are hoping to make history with their first playoff series win since 1995.