The Los Angeles Dodgers just went home after a brutal 7-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, and now they are staring down a 2-0 deficit in the NLCS. It was a bullpen game that devolved into a nightmare for the Dodgers on Monday, with their four runs somehow not enough to even sniff a win at American Family Field.
Dodgers Offense: Where’d It Go?
Look, the Dodgers offense is supposed to be stacked, right? But out there in Milwaukee, runs were at a premium, and timely hitting? Totally elusive. Bill Shakin of the L.A. Times is already asking if the Dodgers need to switch up their whole approach and play baseball more like the Brewers. Because right now, the Dodgers are scoring some runs, sure, but a lot of them are “gifts” from the Brewers’ mistakes, not power hits.
Even Mookie Betts tried to play it cool after the game, saying, “I don’t think guys are going up there trying to hit home runs. Guys are going up there just trying to have good at-bats. Sometimes, you get ‘em. Sometimes you don’t. But we are playing against a really good team. We just have to put it behind us and just come out and play Dodger baseball.” But as Bill Plunkett of the OC Register pointed out, “Dodger baseball” didn’t work. Plunkett detailed exactly how much the Dodgers needed Milwaukee’s help just to get those four runs across.
And then there’s Will Smith. Before the game, Plunkett highlighted Smith’s complete lack of production at the plate. Smith himself tried to brush it off, “It’s been five games,” he said about his .053 batting average this October. “Obviously (I) want the results to be a little better. But at the end of the day, it’s five games at the plate. No panic from me. So I’ll be fine.” Well, guess what? It’s been six games now, and Smith still has only one hit. His postseason batting average? A mind-numbing .043. That’s not “fine.” That’s a huge problem.
Bullpen Battle and the Road Ahead
This series is turning into a bullpen showdown, and the Brewers’ guys are absolutely owning it. The Dodgers’ “vaunted” bullpen got completely outdueled by Milwaukee, who threw five perfect innings to close out Game 2. It’s wild because the Dodgers even threw their two top starters in the first two games and have absolutely nothing to show for it.
Brewers’ manager Pat Murphy sounds like a guy who knows his team has the momentum. “I respect the Dodgers a great deal,” Murphy told reporters after the game, as reported by AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. “That’s all there is to it. They’re arguably one of the best teams ever put together. They’re a great team. And I’m not going to think about anything but the next game. That’s it. Just one inning, one pitch at a time. Don’t look ahead. Don’t plan. Don’t complain, explain, just keep going.” That’s the mindset you need when you’re up 2-0.
Paul Casella, also from MLB.com, is already laying out the keys for Game 3. How do the Dodgers contain William Contreras? Where the heck is their offense going to come from? And, critically, which bullpen will finally outlast the other? The Dodgers have a mountain of work to do if they want to get back in this series.
Game 3 is at 5pm PT tonight, back in Los Angeles. If they can’t figure out their hitting and their bullpen gets outmatched again, this series could be over before they even know what hit them.
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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