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Two Dodgers Who Need to be Better to Keep Season Alive
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- Two Dodgers Who Need to be Better to Keep Season Alive
(© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images)
For the first time in a long time, the Los Angeles Dodgers' backs are against the wall.
The Dodgers, who entered the 2026 season as a juggernaut with back-to-back World Series titles, were the favorites to win it all again after acquiring Kyle Tucker and Edwin Diaz in the offseason.
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They also made the biggest splash of the MLB Trade Deadline when they acquired back-to-back American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers in a swap.
But now, Los Angeles is down 3-0 to the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series. During this time last season, the Dodgers handled the Brewers with ease, sweeping them in the NLCS.
But now, Milwaukee is better and more experienced, and Los Angeles is looking old, frail and inconsistent. If the Dodgers want to keep their season alive, it is going to take a complete effort, but two players specifically are really going to have to step it up.
Shohei Ohtani
Ohtani is reaping the consequences of months' worth of various injuries that have plagued him, to the point of being unable to pitch and being a shell of himself in the batter's box.
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Even with how star-studded the Dodgers roster is, Ohtani is still their best player and it is concerning how brutally bad he has been during this playoff run.
Over seven playoff games, Ohtani has posted an egregious .182 batting average (4-4-22), with a .333 on-base percentage, a .182 slugging percentage and a .515 OPS. He does not have any home runs or RBIs, and he has struck out seven times.
Ohtani is clearly not 100%, and there were even talks about benching him for Game 3 of the NLCS. However, Ohtani played, and he logged one hit in two at-bats.
In Game 3, Ohtani was moved down in the lineup, and he batted sixth. For Thursday's Game 4, the Dodgers made the surprising decision to move Ohtani into the leadoff spot.
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Given how brutal the second half of the season has been for the four-time MVP, it is hard to believe that he will tap into his superstar powers now, but Los Angeles needs something from him to keep the 2026 season going, especially on a night in which the Brewers will be relying on their bullpen.
Max Muncy
Ohtani is hardly the only one who deserves blame for the Dodgers' hitting woes. The offense has been pretty abysmal throughout the playoffs, and one player who started strong but has since struggled is third baseman Max Muncy.
Over seven playoff games, Muncy has a .190 batting average (4-for-21) and a .190 on-base percentage. His slugging percentage of .619 and his OPS of .809 are both good, but like Ohtani, he has more strikeouts (6) than hits.
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In the National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves , Muncy was good. He hit three home runs during the four-game series, and it looked as if he was picking up the slack for the offense. However, despite his ability to go deep, Muncy's home runs in each of those games accounted for his only hit.
In three games against the Brewers so far, Muncy is just 1-for-9 at the plate. If there was ever a time for him to rediscover his power for Los Angeles, it is now.
If Muncy continues to struggle at the plate in Game 4 as he has previously in this series, there is a good chance that the Dodgers are going to get swept in front of their fans.
