The Los Angeles Dodgers are officially on the brink, staring down elimination and watching their World Series hopes crumble right before their eyes. This team is down 3-0 in the NLCS, and if Game 3 was any indication, things are looking grim. Bill Shakin of the L.A. Times laid it all out: pretty much every move manager Dave Roberts made in that game came back to bite him hard. From non-pitching changes to bench players getting wasted, absolutely nothing worked to keep their short-lived lead alive.
Roberts Won’t Look Back, Even When It Matters Most
Man, you gotta wonder what Dave Roberts was thinking in Game 3. Losing a lead when you’re already desperate? Brutal. Now, Roberts himself was part of that insane 2004 Red Sox team that clawed back from being down 3-0 against the Yankees in the ALCS. You’d think that’s prime locker room material, a story to light a fire under his struggling squad, right? Nope. Jim Alexander from the OC Register caught Roberts saying he won’t even bring it up. “Absolutely not,” he laughed. “Then I’ll lose them. I don’t know if some of those guys even know I played. No, absolutely not.” Wild, right? You’d think any spark helps when you’re facing down this kind of pressure. But it sounds like Roberts is trying to keep the focus strictly on what’s ahead, not a miracle from two decades ago.
A Glimmer of Hope: Glasnow and Some Bats Waking Up?
Despite being on the edge, the team is still talking optimism, which is what you have to do in this situation, I guess. They’re all in on Game 4 starter Tyler Glasnow. Tarik Skubal is out there saying, “Everybody in the team is very confident in his ability and the stuff that’s coming out of his hand and doing his job.” Utility man Kiké Hernández echoed that, “I feel great about Glas. He’s got some of the best stuff in the game.” But Hernández also hit the nail on the head about the real problem: “I feel like our pitchers have given us a chance every day to win a game, and we just haven’t hit. So we just got to hit.” And that’s the truth, isn’t it?
There’s a tiny bit of good news from the plate: Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith, who haven’t exactly been tearing it up this postseason, had their best nights so far. Ohtani got on base three times, and Smith ripped an RBI double that brought in the Dodgers’ *only* runs of the night. Small victories, I guess, but they need more than just “best nights” from two guys if they want to avoid elimination.
Game 4 is set for Thursday evening back at Dodger Stadium. Will it be their last game there for a long, long time? That’s the question everyone’s asking. And hey, here’s a random one to maybe make you smile a little bit: Max Muncy just got named a Gold Glove Award finalist at third base, while Manny Machado didn’t. Go figure.
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.
Leave a Reply