The Dodgers offense was always facing a difficult task in this NLCS, but their production, or lack thereof, goes beyond any praise the Brewers’ staff may deserve. The Game 3 loss and what the Brewers did offensively against Blake Snell represented an ideal example of what one might reasonably expect from this Dodgers attack: resilience and power against outstanding starters—something we saw when they faced Chris Sale in the NLDS, for instance. Something nowhere to be found in this NLCS.
For the vast
majority of the game, Snell’s stuff looked great; he induced 19 whiffs, which is a postseason high for the Dodgers; in doing so, he struck out nine. Still, none of that mattered much as 75% of the hits he allowed left the yard. Milwaukee hitters were often overwhelmed, but in key spots, when Snell made a mistake, they were ready to pay. The contrast of this type of performance to what we’re seeing from the Dodgers offensively helps illustrate why the Brewers are one win away from the Fall Classic.
When Will Smith hit a two-run double off Abner Uribe in the bottom of the sixth, that was the first hard-hit ball for extra bases by a Dodger with a runner in scoring position in this series. Homerless in this NLCS, the Dodgers have had to heavily rely on the Brewers’ errors—anything from occasional defensive misplays to a momentary lack of control—to score runs. It would not be a challenging argument to put the Dodgers’ runs in Games 2 and 3 as gifts far more than issues they’ve generated. Now, one must still capitalize on these mistakes, but when they represent your only source of runs, then the situation is dire, to say the least.
Smith’s double off the wall against Uribe was impressive—but as much as we’d like to credit the offense for loading the bases in that spot with walk after walk, it helped that Uribe only located two of his 14 sinkers in the zone. If the Dodgers can lament leaving Snell in there too long, Pat Murphy probably regrets not pulling Uribe after the third walk. It’s easier to see your missed opportunities, but oftentimes the other side can lament certain mistakes as well, even if in this case it didn’t cost them.
Overall, it’d be one thing if the Dodgers were continuously running into a gauntlet, but these struggles seem to go beyond what the Brewers can throw at them—it hasn’t mattered who is on the mound. Robert Gasser had a solid campaign with the Brewers, establishing himself as a starter, but still, he had a 3.87 ERA and a 22.2 K%. He is not the level of pitcher you’d expect to hold the Dodgers scoreless over five innings in a must-win game at home.
Even the most optimistic of Dodger fans understood the dangers of this Brewers team this time around, but the way in which the reigning back-to-back champs are losing this series goes beyond the worst expectations. A complete inability to generate any kind of offense without a lending hand from the opposition leaves you in a position where winning a single game feels like a massive challenge.
