MLB Series of the Week: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Philadelphia Phillies

After three long months, baseball is finally back in full swing.

A fan favorite expression to use for the 162-game baseball season is that it’s a marathon, not a sprint, so series played in April and May don’t normally mean too much in the grand scheme of things. However, for the two teams playing in Commradio’s series of the week, it could mean everything come October.

The defending World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers will be on the road in the US for the first time this year to face fellow National League title contender, the Philadelphia Phillies, this weekend. These two teams, who were the top two seeds in the NL during the 2024 postseason, were only separated by three games.

While the Dodgers travel to the East Coast for the first time in 2025, and the Phillies get their first taste of postseason competition, here's everything you need to know about this weekend’s heavyweight tilt:

A Start For The History Books

Through their first eight games of 2025, the Dodgers are showing no signs of World Series fatigue. For only the second time in team history, and the first since they moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1958, the Dodgers have started the season 8-0.

Not only have they made franchise history with their scorching hot start, they have also made MLB history as they passed the 1933 Yankees for the longest winning streak to begin a season by a defending World Series winner.

Their best start in franchise history came in 1955 when they began the season winning 10 in a row. All eyes in the baseball world this weekend will be on this team and how long they can keep the streak going. If they can take the first two games against the Phillies, they will tie the 70-year-old franchise record, and if they can complete a sweep, they will break it in one of the most impressive ways possible.

It’s Not About How You Start, But How You Finish

The Phillies have been struggling mightily against starting pitchers through their first six games of the season, as they have only scored a total of six runs off of them, five of which were earned. They have still yet to score a single run within the first three innings, but despite this, the team is off to a quick 5-1 start, mainly because they have demolished both Washington and Colorado’s bullpens. The Phillies have scored a whopping 27 runs in just 16.2 innings against relievers this season and their 5.5 runs per game ranks top six in Major League Baseball.

Dreams and Nightmares

In the past few years, Citizens Bank Park has become a house of horrors for the Dodgers as they have dropped six of their last seven games played in Philadelphia. In 2024, the Phillies and Dodgers played six games against each other and the Phillies won five of them, completing a three-game sweep in Philadelphia in July and taking two out of the three games played at Dodger Stadium in early August.

This weekend, the defending World Series champions will not only try to get their first win in Philadelphia since 2023, but their first series win there since 2022.

Probable Pitchers

Game 1: Yoshinobu Yamamoto (1-0 2.70 era) vs Jesús Luzardo (1-0 3.60 era)

Looking to build off of an excellent rookie campaign in 2024, Yoshinobu Yamamoto has started off 2025 strong. He allowed only three hits in five innings in Tokyo against the Cubs, and struck out 10 batters in five innings of work against the Tigers.

Yamamoto will look to continue his strong start to his sophomore season as he gets set for his first career start against the Phillies, the team that he reportedly received his biggest contract offer from when he was a free agent coming out of Japan in 2023.

Speaking of debuts, Jesús Luzardo will make his first start at Citizens Bank Park as a member of the home team. He will try to build off of an impressive 11-strikeout performance against the Nationals, the most in a Phillies debut since Garrett Stephenson in 1997.

Game 2: Roki Sasaki (0-0 5.79 era) vs Aaron Nola (0-1 8.44 era)

Both of these guys are hoping that April can bring them some good fortune for the rest of the year and they desperately need it. MLB.com's number one prospect Roki Sasaki is set to make his third career start. The 23-year-old NPB superstar's transition to the MLB has been a rocky one thus far.

He has walked nine batters in just 4.2 innings of work in his first two starts and left his last start against Detroit after recording only five outs, and walking four batters. He'll look to try and find his command again in game two of this series.

Aaron Nola has been a common victim of the long ball in recent years and if his first start told us anything, it's that this year won't be much different. Nola has finished top ten in most home runs given up in all of baseball each of the past two seasons, and finished top five in the category last season.

All five of the runs he surrendered in his first start against Washington were due to home runs: A three-run shot by Josh Bell and a two-run shot by Nathaniel Lowe. He'll look to bounce back in his first start of the year at Citizens Bank Park, a place where he posts a 57-31 record with a 3.21 ERA and 958 strikeouts in 132 career starts.

Game 3: Tyler Glasnow (1-0 0.00 era) vs Cristopher Sanchez (0-0 1.69 era)

Coming off an excellent 2024 campaign, Tyler Glasnow did not disappoint on Monday night. Facing the Atlanta Braves, he tossed four hitless innings to start and ended the night with eight strikeouts in five shutout innings. He will make his first road start of the season on Sunday and his first start in Philadelphia since 2018, when he was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Cristopher Sanchez being a dominant force on the Citizens Bank Park mound, has become a common sight to see in baseball. Sanchez finished 2024 with the most innings pitched at home (110) and a 2.21 home ERA, the fifth-lowest in baseball among pitchers with at least 80 innings pitched.

His first home start of 2025 on Monday against the Colorado Rockies was more of the same as he threw 5.1 innings, allowing four hits, one run, and striking out seven. He'll look to continue his home dominance against a Dodgers team against whom he earned two wins in 2024.

Players To Watch

Dodgers: Mookie Betts

One significant factor that contributed to the Dodgers underperforming against Philadelphia last year: Mookie Betts's IR stint. Arguably a top-five player in the sport, he didn't play a single game against them due to a fractured left hand he sustained in June that kept him out until August. Now, he's back at 100% in the new season, ready to face a Phillies team that he has had minimal issues hitting against throughout his career.

In 32 career games against Philly, Betts boasts a slash line of .362/.420/.700 with 10 home runs, 29 RBIs, and a whopping 1.120 OPS. Wrapping that up with his 1.114 OPS, three home runs, and two game-winning hits in his first five games to start the year, look for Mookie Betts to be a major factor in this series.

Phillies: Kyle Schwarber

Kyle Schwarber has opened the first six games of the 2025 season with a bang. Four of them, in fact. The Phillies' designated hitter is off to a lightning-fast start and is hoping to stay hot this weekend against a team he did a lot of damage against last season.

In the six games the Phillies played against LA in 2024, Schwarber went 10 for 24 (.417) at the plate with six home runs, 13 RBIs, and eight runs scored. He is only 12 home runs away from becoming the 163rd member of the 300-homer club, so be on the lookout for incoming "Schwarbombs" this weekend.

My Prediction

As I look into my imaginary crystal ball, I predict that all three games will be nail-biters, hard-fought battles that will all be decided by three runs or fewer.

The Dodgers will ride the wave of their hot start and extend their historic winning streak to nine, taking game one Friday night with their ace, Yamamoto, on the mound. Saturday afternoon is when the streak will end, as in game two, Sasaki's command troubles will continue, Nola will bounce back with a strong first start at home, and the Phillies will tie the series up, setting up a good old Sunday matinee rubber match.

In game three, Glasnow and Sanchez will engage in a hard-fought pitchers' duel. Glasnow tossed 6 solid innings in the Dodgers' only win against the Phillies a year ago; however, Sanchez threw two six-inning gems against the Dodgers last season, both resulting in wins, and I have no doubt that he'll be able to do it again. The Dodgers were also 5-8 on Sundays away from home last season, which tells me that the 1:35 p.m. start time will likely play a factor for the West Coast group. The Phillies will take game three, and leave for Atlanta with a crucial series victory.

Brady Welsh is a first-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email bdw5435@psu.edu.