By Rory Carroll
LOS ANGELES, Oct 13 (Reuters) – The Los Angeles Dodgers have spent the last two Octobers spraying champagne. This year they may be facing an early winter.
The two-time defending World Series champions trail the Milwaukee Brewers 2-0 in the National League Championship Series after a 7-4 loss on Monday. Their pitching has wobbled and their lineup has barely made a sound.
On Monday, Milwaukee shattered Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s aura of postseason invincibility. Christian Yelich hit a two-run single to knock out the 2025 World Series MVP after just 2-2/3 innings.
A day earlier, the Brewers chased prized midseason acquisition Tarik Skubal after five innings on their way to a 2-1 win in Game 1.
Still, the mound is not the Dodgers’ biggest problem. Their star-studded lineup is hitting .193 this postseason and is 2-for-26 with runners in scoring position. On Monday they managed three hits.
SLUMPING OHTANI TO BAT IN GAME THREE
Shohei Ohtani’s bat has also gone quiet. The four-time MVP has been playing through problems with his left knee, right biceps and neck, and it shows.
He went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts on Monday. He is now batting .150 (3-for-20) in the postseason, with seven strikeouts and no extra-base hits.
The slump is bad enough that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had considered resting him for Game 3 but said on Tuesday that the Japanese slugger would be in the lineup.
“I did speak to Sho, had a great conversation,” Roberts told reporters at Dodger Stadium.
“He’s adamant he feels good enough to be in there. He’s close to finding something with his swing. I feel great about it.
“He wants to be in there and help us win a ballgame and win a championship. Great conversation, and I’m excited about having him in there.”
The Dodgers have escaped tight spots before. In last year’s Fall Classic, they trailed the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 and won the last two games on the road to take the title.
Heading into a pivotal Game 3, Dodgers starter Blake Snell made it clear that turning the tide begins with a single spark.
“A big thing is momentum. Once you shift it, especially at home, anything can happen,” he told reporters.
“We saw what happened when we played Toronto. I’m not worried. We’ve just got to get it going. I think once we do that, we’ll be fine.”
(Reporting by Rory Carroll; Editing by Toby Davis, Peter Rutherford)
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