The Dodgers are staring down an NLDS hole, shipping off to Atlanta for what is now a best-of-3 series with the Braves suddenly riding high as the home team on Tuesday and Wednesday. This wasn’t supposed to happen, especially not with their vaunted starting rotation.
Snell’s Slog and the Offensive Void
Man, Game 2 was a gut punch for Dodgers fans, and it all started on the mound. Blake Snell, who was supposed to be their biggest advantage with the starting rotation, had an absolute slog of a start. The dude lasted only 3 2/3 innings, throwing 90 pitches and walking five guys. He literally flung the Dodgers into their own relief parade, forcing a bullpen game out of them. That was undoubtedly bad, but here’s the kicker: the Dodgers as a team only allowed three runs in Game 2, exactly the same as they allowed in Game 1’s win. That should be a winnable game, right? So what happened?
It was the offense, plain and simple. They just weren’t up to the task, especially when it counted most. The Dodgers went a dismal 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position. You can’t win playoff games like that, not when you have a chance to take control. Max Muncy finally got a two-out homer in the ninth off Didier Fuentes, but by then it was too little, too late.
Atlanta’s Bullpen Carousel Shuts Down Dodgers’ Hopes
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was asked before Game 1 how they would capitalize on facing a slew of Braves relievers instead of starters. He laid out the plan: “The advantage for us is we have an opportunity to not let their pitching staff come up for air, and how do you do that? You have to exhaust the starter. You have to get in their pen, and you have to have them deploy arms as soon as possible and get that carousel going and continue to beat starters. Then you can suffocate them.” Roberts said they had an “opportunity to really expose them if we take the right at-bats and the right approach.”
Well, Atlanta used bullpen games in both Game 1 and Game 2, but Roberts’ vision hasn’t exactly materialized. The Dodgers haven’t faced any of the 10 Braves pitchers in more than one appearance yet, so that “exposure” hasn’t happened. Instead, they’ve been shut down by a parade of Atlanta relievers. Left-hander Dylan Dodd tossed three scoreless innings to start Game 1, striking out four of his 11 batters faced and matching his career high in innings this season. Ray Kerr, another left-hander, has been absolutely lights out since returning in August after two years recovering from Tommy John surgery. He got 10 outs to start Atlanta’s wild card closeout win over the Phillies, then followed up with 2 2/3 innings to kick off Game 2 against the Dodgers. Kerr even left with two runners on base in the third inning, but Will Smith followed with a first-pitch groundout against Grant Holmes to end the inning, part of that dreadful 0-for-8 performance with runners in scoring position. Didier Fuentes even retired 11 Dodgers in a row before Muncy’s late homer.
So, the Dodgers are heading to Atlanta in a do-or-die situation. They need to find that offensive spark, especially with runners on base, and figure out how to actually “suffocate” that Braves bullpen like Roberts talked about. Otherwise, their NLDS run could be over quicker than anyone expected.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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