LOS ANGELES — The Reds did not luck into Hunter Greene for Game 1 of the Wild Card Series. Terry Francona made a choice that drew heat at the time and now gives Cincinnati exactly what it wanted in a short series. He kept his rotation in order, resisted the easy fix of pushing Greene on short rest, and accepted a couple of late losses to preserve his ace for Tuesday in Los Angeles. The standings broke their way on Sunday, so Greene arrives at Dodger Stadium on full rest for the opener.
The gamble almost cost Francona. The Reds lost the final game of the season, and if the Mets hadn’t been so… Mets about everything and won their finale with the Marlins, it would be they who would be in line to play the Dodgers on Tuesday. But the gambit worked. Now it is on the Dodgers to meet it.
Greene’s story is tied to this city. He grew up a Dodgers fan, starred at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, and trained at the MLB Youth Academy in Compton. He was a two-way prodigy who went second overall in the 2017 draft, a local kid whose triple-digit fastball became a national talking point before he could vote. On Tuesday he will pitch a postseason game in his hometown with friends and family in the seats. It is a great scene for him. It is also familiar ground for this lineup.
The Dodgers have already handled Greene once here this season. On August 25, Los Angeles beat Cincinnati 7–0 and knocked Greene out before the seventh. Andy Pages homered twice, both on breaking balls that caught too much plate, and the lineup stayed disciplined against the high fastball. Mookie Betts added a line drive home run and saved a rally with a play at short. Emmet Sheehan did the rest with seven scoreless innings. That night was not about luck. It was about refusing to chase above the letters and forcing Greene to land spin in the zone where hitters could get the barrel out front.
Francona’s decision sets a clear challenge. Put your best starter on the ball for Game 1. The Dodgers counter with a plan that has already worked. Short swings. Work to even counts. Do not offer at the show fastball that rides just out of reach. When the slider or curve has to find the strike zone, look to pull it. Pages did that in August and changed the game with two swings. Freddie Freeman is trending up and punishes mistakes over the middle third. Shohei Ohtani’s timing is getting laser focused, and he finished the game setting a new club record for long balls (55).
There is more to the matchup than one night in August. Cincinnati’s position players pressure you with speed and live arms on defense. That means Los Angeles needs clean baserunning and sharp reads on balls in the gaps. It also means taking the extra 90 feet when the Reds throw to the wrong base or rush a relay. The Dodgers did that well during the season set and turned contact into runs even on nights when they were not racking up hits with runners in scoring position.
Back to Francona for a moment. Managers talk about playing to win rather than playing to avoid losing. His choice is the textbook example. He risked being second guessed for a week to arrive here with his ace lined up. The Reds got what they wanted. The Dodgers should welcome it. You want to see the other club’s best when your game plan is clear and repeatable.
Greene’s homecoming is a great baseball story. It started on local fields, wound through Sherman Oaks and Compton, and now reaches the mound at Chavez Ravine. The Dodgers respect the talent and the path. They also have the benefit of seeing this exact look six weeks ago and turning it into a win. Francona got the matchup he wanted. The job now is to make that advantage feel smaller with disciplined swings and a clean game. If Los Angeles repeats the August template, Game 1 belongs to the home side.
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