The Los Angeles Dodgers dropped Game 2 of the NLCS, falling into a crushing 0-2 hole against Milwaukee. Yeah, you heard that right, a standing eight-count for the champs, and it happened in dispiriting fashion after a game that felt like it was hand-wrapped for them. From Joe Davis’s iconic call of “To beat the champ, you gotta knock ‘em out! The Dodgers stand tall and win back to back titles!” from just last year, to now being punched in the mouth, this team has had its figurative bell rung. Now, they’ve gotta climb out of a hole they mostly dug themselves.
What’s Going Wrong, And Who’s To Blame?
Listen, a lot of ink is gonna get spilled on this, but the early signs point to some serious struggles from their big guns. Shohei Ohtani’s performance has been lacking, and Will Smith, the one-man argument for full ABS in MLB, isn’t getting it done. Then there’s Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who just delivered his worst postseason start since his debut against the San Diego Padres in Game 1 of the NLDS back in 2024. This isn’t just a bump in the road; these are key players underperforming when it matters most.
The Steep Climb Ahead
So, what’s the good news? Well, the last team to actually dig out of an 0-2 LCS hole was the 2025 Toronto Blue Jays in last year’s ALCS. The bad news? As the source says, those Blue Jays were “the gooberiest goobers to ever goober,” which is basically the opposite of this Dodgers squad, so don’t get your hopes up on that comparison. Max Muncy says there’s a lot of series left, and respectfully, I’m calling BS on that unless this team actually starts playing better and winning. The math is simple, and it’s brutal: the Dodgers need to win four of the next five games just to have a shot at defending their title for a second time, against either Tampa or Cleveland. If they want to even earn a trip back to Milwaukee, they’ve got to win at least two of the next three home games. And get this: they haven’t even won in Milwaukee all year “without Adric present.” If they fail at this first hurdle, the streak of teams *other than* the Dodgers celebrating a championship at Dodger Stadium will just keep on rolling, with only the 1963 champs ever clinching there. The 2020 title would have been a clinch, sure, but not at Dodger Stadium. As Bob Dylan famously put it, it’s not dark yet, but it’s definitely getting there for the Dodgers.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by True Blue LA.
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