The 2022 MLB postseason field is fully set as all the opening matchups for the Wild Card round in the National League and American League have been determined.
While the Los Angeles Dodgers still don’t know who they’ll be facing in the NL Division Series, the options have been narrowed down to two potential opponents.
The Dodgers finished as the top seed in the NL playoffs, so they earned a bye in the Wild Card round to advance directly to the NLDS while holding home-field advantage through the World Series because of also having the best record in baseball.
With the new expanded postseason format agreed upon MLB and the Players Association (MLBPA), the No. 1 team in each league will face the winner of the Wild Card Series between the four- and five-seed teams.
The New York Mets finished as the fourth seed and the San Diego Padres finished fifth, so the Dodgers will face the winner of their best-of-three series that is being played at Citi Field.
For most of the season, it looked like the Atlanta Braves would finish as the four seed, but they ended up winning the NL East division title on Tuesday, which pushed the Mets into the Wild Card Series.
The Braves, who finished as the second seed, also received a first-round bye, and will face the winner of the Wild Card matchup between the St. Louis Cardinals (third seed) and Philadelphia Phillies (sixth).
When will Dodgers learn NLDS opponent?
The NL Wild Card Series between the Mets and Padres begins on Friday, and the Dodgers could know their NLDS opponent by Oct. 8 at the earliest or the next day at the latest. Game 1 of the NLDS at Dodger Stadium is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 11.
Dodgers vs. Mets
The Mets will surely be the favorite to advance to play the Dodgers, with Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer likely to start their first two Wild Card Games. They then would be followed by either Chris Bassitt or Carlos Carrasco, if necessary.
The Dodgers finished their season series 3-4 against the Mets, but the two teams were essentially even with 24 runs scored by L.A. and 25 by New York.
The Mets will finish third in the NL in run differential as they are currently at +159. However, that mark is still far behind the MLB-leading Dodgers, who are at +329 heading into the final day of the season.
Dodgers vs. Padres
While the Padres will be the underdogs, they have some hope after winning four of their six games against the Mets this year.
The Dodgers enjoyed plenty of success against the Padres this season, winning 15 of the 19 matchups and never losing a series. They also outscored San Diego 109-47 throughout the regular season series.
San Diego is sixth in run differential among NL teams this year as they enter the final day with a +52 mark.
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