Dodgers are Limping Home Down 2-0 in the NLCS

Last season, the Los Angeles Dodgers swept the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS, heading to their second World Series title in a row. This season, it is a little different, as the Dodgers are limping home down 2-0 in the NLCS after two losses in Milwaukee.

Hits Help 

The Dodgers lost the series opener 2-1 and lost 7-4 in Game 2, totaling only 10 hits over the two games.  They scored four runs in the Game 2 loss on three sacrifices and a Brewers’ error, despite having only three hits.

L.A. has been dominated by the Brewers bullpen in this series, not scoring any runs past the fifth inning in either game. Yeah, the Milwaukee bullpen has been dominant not only this series, but throughout the playoffs, with a minuscule 0.34 ERA over their six games

Oh, what a Difference A Season Makes 

Last season, when the Dodgers swept the Brewers in the NLDS, Game 4 was the highlight: Shohei Ohtani had a game for the ages with three home runs and got the win on the hill, holding Milwaukee scoreless in six innings and striking out 10.

This season, Ohtani has dealt with injuries, and he is a question mark for Game 3. He is 1-for-7 in this series with a single, no RBI, and in the playoffs he is batting .150 (3 for 20) with no RBIs and seven strikeouts. He will not take the mound again this season with the injuries he is dealing with, and he hasn't hit a home run since August 18.

Struggling as a Team 

Ohtani isn't the only L.A. player struggling in the playoffs; Will Smith is tied for the most postseason at-bats with 23 and has just one hit. Teoscar Hernandez, Freddie Freeman, and Mookie Betts are all batting under .239 in the post-season.

Even in the four-game NLDS win over the Braves, the L.A. lineup had issues. In Game 1 of that series, they scored five runs in a win over the Braves, but they haven't scored more than four runs in the five games since.

Game 3 Info 

While the starting pitchers have not been named, the projected starters are Robert Gasser for the Brewers and Blake Snell for the Dodgers. Gasser (5-5, 3.87 ERA, 1.19 WHIP) is 2-0 with a 1.73 ERA in his last seven games (6 starts, 1 relief appearance) and started in Game 4 of the NLDS, giving up one run in four innings in a 4-1 win over the Padres.

Snell (4-1, 1.90 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) missed much of the season due to injury, but in five home starts this season, including one in the playoffs, he has a 2.19 ERA.

Interesting Fact 

If the Dodgers lose Game 3, they are obviously in a big hole. Of the 42 teams that have been down 3-0 in a playoff series, only one went on to win. That one? It was in 2004, when the Boston Red Sox came back to beat the New York Yankees, and a key player on that Boston team was current Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.