This stat says the Dodgers are in trouble in the NLDS vs. Phillies

Douglas Santo

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This stat says the Dodgers are in trouble in the NLDS vs. Phillies image

The Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers will meet in the NLDS for their sixth postseason series starting on Saturday, Oct. 4.

The Phillies and Dodgers are the two National League favorites to win the World Series, and should provide a back and forth, entertaining NLDS matchup.

However, there's a particular stat that may worry Dodgers' fans. Everyone knows the Phillies have one of the best starting rotations in baseball, but Philadelphia is without Zack Wheeler. That may matter based on this stat.

Are the Dodgers doomed against the Phillies?

The Phillies have leaned on starters Aaron Nola and Wheeler in their recent postseason runs, but in 2025, Nola has struggled since coming back from injury and Wheeler is out for the season due to injury.

Philadelphia has announced Cristopher Sanchez will start Game 1 of the NLDS against the Dodgers, and it's likely a combination of Ranger Suarez and Jesus Luzardo that will follow.

If that's the case, the Dodgers will face three straight left-handed starters in the NLDS, and the stats say that's not good for Los Angeles.

On the season, the Dodgers are 69-46 against right-handed pitching. However, their just 24-23 against left-handed pitching.

The Phillies do have Nola and Walker Buehler on the roster, and six of their 12 pitchers are right-handed, but six left-handed pitchers is a large chunk.

The Dodgers had no problem putting up runs in the wild card series against the Cincinnati Reds, scoring 18 runs across two games, but the Phillies are a different animal.

Sanchez (2.50 ERA), Suarez (3.20 ERA) and Luzardo (3.92 ERA) were the Phillies top three pitchers all year long outside of Wheeler, and they'll look to continue that against the Dodgers.

If the Phillies lefties get rolling, it could spell bad news for the Dodgers.

Douglas Santo

Douglas Santo is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. As a senior at Arizona State University, he will complete his B.A. in sports journalism with a minor in business in December 2025. Before his time with Sporting News, Douglas covered the NFL and MLB for Athlon Sports and contributed as a digital reporter for Arizona PBS/Cronkite News. He is also the head of Sun Devil Daily, managing all content produced about Arizona State Sports.