The Phillies and Dodgers are facing off in the NLDS. Left-hander Cristopher Sánchez started for Philadelphia, and two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani threw for the Dodgers, going up against the Phillies as a pitcher for the first time in his career. “Because of Ohtani and LA,” Middleton said, “I think the Dodgers carry a certain stature, as do the Yankees, frankly. “That’s what’s so fun about this series: big markets, big payrolls, big names. “These are two really, really good teams that have a galaxy of stars, frankly,” Middleton said.