The NLCS is here, folks, and it’s a rematch of last year’s showdown: the Dodgers versus the Brewers, with a ticket to the World Series on the line. But before we get too hyped, we gotta talk about the elephant in the room: Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith are absolutely struggling, going a combined 3-for-29 with a whopping 11 strikeouts and zero extra-base hits against Atlanta in the NLDS. Seriously, it’s brutal.
How We Got Here: Pitching Prowess and Road Warrior Wins
First, let’s look at how these two powerhouses clawed their way to the Championship Series. The Dodgers’ path through the NLDS against Atlanta was all about that pitching. Their star-studded rotation came up huge, posting an insane 1.69 ERA across 21 ⅓ innings. Tarik Skubal in Game 1 and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 3 were absolutely lights-out. Tyler Glasnow in Game 4 was a bit wild but got the job done. Only Blake Snell in Game 2, going just 3 ⅔ innings, really disappointed. The Dodgers’ offense, described as “aging,” did just enough, thanks to some timely long balls from veterans like Kiké Hernández, Freddie Freeman, and Max Muncy. It wasn’t a dominant sweep, but they got the job done, keeping their “three-peat quest” alive in Round 1.
Then you’ve got the Brewers. This team is legit, you guys. They just snapped a ridiculous 12-game postseason road losing streak with their Game 4 NLDS-clinching win at Petco Park. Talk about a statement! Run prevention, as always, was Milwaukee’s calling card, holding San Diego to a sparkling 2.5 runs allowed per game. What’s wild is they did this despite some uncharacteristically shaky defense, making five errors over the four games. The offense wasn’t exactly mashing, but they “kept the line moving” and “caused enough chaos” to get past a tough Padres squad. This team feels like they could finally reach the World Series for only the second time ever, and the first since way back in 1982.
The Dodgers’ X-Factor Nightmare: Ohtani and Smith Are Broken
Alright, let’s get back to Ohtani and Smith. Their 3-for-29 NLDS line against the Braves doesn’t even tell the whole story, because they looked *even worse* than that. It’s tough to see the Dodgers getting through this if these two critical pieces keep flailing like this. Ohtani, bless his heart, is clearly not 100 percent. He hasn’t fully bounced back from those late-season ailments that sent him to the IL for the first time in his Dodgers career. He looks skittish, uncertain, and just uncomfortable at the plate, which is leading to some questionable swing decisions, bad counts, and even worse outcomes. We all know the four-time MVP is capable of magic , remember that “greatest single-game performance of all time” in last year’s NLCS Game 4? , but this “reduced version” of Ohtani just isn’t giving us that spark.
And Smith? His situation is even stranger. He missed almost three months during the regular season but came back on September 1st and absolutely mashed, putting up a .948 OPS in September. But now, his swing mechanics, which are usually a masterclass in simplicity, are “completely out of whack.” He’s still a wizard behind the plate, giving them tons of value, but he’s not the “game-changing offensive force” who crushed last year’s World Series-winning blast. This is a huge problem.
Jackson Chourio: The Brewers’ Unsung Hero
But for the Brewers, their X-factor is a 22-year-old phenom, Jackson Chourio. He only had three hits in the NLDS victory, but every single one of them was a monumental, massive moment. We’re talking a game-tying, two-run homer off Robbie Ray in Game 1. Then a walk-off single against Mason Miller in Game 2. And finally, a go-ahead, laser-beam single in Game 4. The kid just delivers when it counts. That kind of clutch performance is everything in the postseason, and you gotta wonder what else he’s got up his sleeve for this NLCS.
This is it, folks, for all the marbles. The Dodgers are on their “three-peat quest” and the Brewers are looking for their first World Series trip in decades. Will the Dodgers’ big bats wake up, or will the Brewers continue their run prevention magic and clutch hitting? The next few games are gonna be epic, and you know we’ll be glued to every single pitch.
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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