Dodgers vs. Phillies series: What to know about possible NLCS preview as teams try to break out of skids

The Philadelphia Phillies and the Los Angeles Dodgers will begin a three-game set in Los Angeles on Monday night that could double as a preview of the eventual National League Championship Series. After all, these squads are ranked Nos. 1 and 2 on the Senior Circuit in winning percentage with just under two months to go. Regular-season success doesn’t always transfer to the postseason — just ask these Dodgers about that — but it’s fair to describe this as the likeliest outcome based on current information.

With that in mind, we here at CBS Sports wanted to set the table by providing some pertinent information about this series. Below, you can find the probable matchups, the start times, and what to know about these squads entering the series.

First, let’s provide some pertinent information about these games:

• Monday, 10:10 pm ET: RHP Aaron Nola (PHI, 11-4, 3.43 ERA) vs. RHP Tyler Glasnow (LAD, 8-6, 3.50 ERA)
• Tuesday, 10:10 pm ET : LHP Cristopher Sánchez (PHI, 7-7, 3.36 ERA) vs. LHP Clayton Kershaw (LAD, 0-1, 5.87 ERA)
• Wednesday, 10:10 pm ET: RHP Tyler Phillips (PHI, 3-1, 4.39 ERA) vs. RHP Gavin Stone (LAD, 9-5, 3.63 ERA)

Now, onto three things worth knowing.

1. Both teams are cold

Although, again, these are the two winningest teams in the National League, they’ve each been mired in a slump as of late. The Phillies, whose struggles we wrote about on Saturday, enter Monday with a 13-17 record in their last 30 games, tying them for the second-worst record in Major League Baseball during that stretch. The Dodgers haven’t been much better, coming into Monday with a 13-14 mark since the start of July.

Those recent slides have cast some doubt on what appeared to be certain division titles. The Phillies are now just six games up on the Atlanta Braves after having a 9 1/2 game lead as recently as July 27. The Dodgers, meanwhile, are 4 1/2 games up on the San Diego Padres after leading by 8 1/2 games heading into July 24.

The winner of this series, then, could come to view it as the moment they got back on the right path ahead of their eventual postseason berth.

2. Phillies dominated first meeting

This week’s encounter will serve as the second and final of the regular season between the Dodgers and the Phillies. Philadelphia hosted the initial three-game set in early July. The Phillies dominated that entanglement, sweeping the Dodgers and outscoring them by a 19-5 margin. (That’s more than four runs per game, for those keeping track.)

To be fair, most of that damage came in the form of a 10-1 series-opening win. The Phillies’ subsequent victories, by 4-3 and 5-1 scores, were more modest in nature. It’s perhaps worth noting that just one of the Dodgers’ starting pitchers from that series, right-hander Gavin Stone, is expected to get the nod against the Phillies this week. (The others, Bobby Miller and Anthony Banda, are either in the minors or the bullpen.)

3. Slew of new faces

Beyond the small-sample size element, there’s another obvious reason not to read too much into that July series between these teams: both were active at the deadline.

The Phillies added outfielder Austin Hays and relievers Carlos Estévez and Tanner Banks. The Dodgers, for their part, netted starter Jack Flaherty, reliever Michael Kopech, infielders Tommy Edman and Amed Rosario, and outfielder Kevin Kiermaier. 

Edman, who has not yet played this season, is supposedly nearing his activation. Add in the Dodgers’ Nick Ahmed and Brent Honeywell Jr., and it’s at least possible that 10 or 11 of the 52 players in attendance for this week’s series were not with their respective organizations when the first series was played.

Which team will benefit more from all that turnover? We’ll find out soon enough.