The showdown is set: the Washington Nationals will collide with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Division Series for the second time in four years.
After rallying in the bottom of the eighth inning for a come-from-behind victory in the NL Wild Card game, the Nationals exorcised demons by advancing in their first winner-take-all postseason game in franchise history.
Their reward is a date with the Dodgers, who also made franchise history with a record 106 wins during the regular season. Los Angeles is looking to exorcise some demons of their own after falling short in the World Series in back-to-back seasons.
The Nationals were not expected to be here. After missing the playoffs during a disappointing season in 2018, former MVP Bryce Harper left the Nation's Capital to join the rival Philadelphia Phillies.
Washington had a sluggish start to the season, falling 12 games below .500 before they stormed back in the second half to claim the top Wild Card spot. They had one of the best records in the second half, going 46-27 since the All-Star Break.
After defeating the Brewers in the Wild Card game, they're playing with house money from here on out. They have a formidable starting rotation of three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, and Patrick Corbin. Simply because of that trio alone, the Nationals could shock the two-time reigning NL pennant winners in a best-of-five series.
In seven head-to-head matchups this season between the Dodgers and Nationals, the Boys in Blue took the season series four games to three. Los Angeles outscored Washington, 30-27, but the series was close enough, and occurred early enough in the season, to essentially make this playoff matchup a coin toss.
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Here are the start times for the first two games of the series:
Thursday, October 3
NLDS Game 1: Nationals at Dodgers – 5:37PM PT (TBS)
Friday, October 4
NLDS Game 2: Nationals at Dodgers – 6:37PM PT (TBS)
Sunday, October 6
NLDS Game 3: Dodgers at Nationals – TBD (TBS)
Monday, October 7
*NLDS Game 4: Dodgers at Nationals – TBD (TBS)
*if necessary
Wednesday, October 9
*NLDS Game 5: Nationals at Dodgers – TBD (TBS)
*if necessary
Betting Odds:
The Dodgers are currently the favorites to win the NLDS with a Money Line of -178. That means that a bet of $178.00 would net a return of $100.00, should the Dodgers win the series and advance to the NLCS.
The Nationals currently have a Money Line of +158 to win the series. That means a bet of $100.00 would return $158.00, should the Nationals win the series and advance to the NLCS.
Overall, the Dodgers are 1-to-1 favorites to win the National League pennant, followed by the Atlanta Braves with 4-to-1 odds, the St. Louis Cardinals with 4-to-1 odds, and the Nationals currently have 7-to-1 odds to win the pennant.
The Dodgers currently have 3-to-1 odds to win the World Series and the Nationals have 14-to-1 odds.
All odds are courtesy of www.BetOnline.ag
Ticket Prices:
Despite having the best odds to win the World Series, and nearly eclipsing 4 million total attendance this season, the Dodgers currently have the second lowest ticket prices for the NLDS according to TicketIQ.
At an average price on the secondary market of $169.00 per ticket, Dodgers fans can afford to watch the Boys in Blue take on the Washington Nationals. By comparison, $169.00 is the second lowest NLDS ticket price for the Dodgers in their last seven straight NLDS appearances. Only 2018 was lower with an average price of $145.00 on the secondary market.
The Yankees have the most expensive tickets with an average price of $411.00 on the secondary market for the ALDS.
