Monday, October 12, 2026

Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2026

Okay, the Los Angeles Dodgers are in trouble.

I admit that it doesn’t look good for the Dodgers in the NLCS. The Dodgers are down 2-0 to the Milwaukee Brewers. They managed only three hits on Monday while the Brewers chased Yoshinobu Yamamoto after just 2.2 innings. The Dodgers’ bullpen couldn’t keep the Brewers’ offense quiet.

The Dodgers must win four out of five games to keep their dreams of achieving a three-peat alive.

Impossible?

No!

Unlikely?

Definitely, but the Dodgers have been here before and succeeded.

In 2020, the Dodgers overcame a 2-0 deficit in the NLCS against the Atlanta Braves. They exploded for 11 runs in Game 3 of the 2020 NLCS.  The 2020 Dodgers went on to win the World Series. The team was fresh and rested after a 60-game abbreviated season.

The 2020 Dodgers were different from the 2026 Dodgers. This team is exhausted. In the last two years, this team has played the most games of any major-league team, and the Dodgers traveled to Asia twice.

Their star, Shohei Ohtani, is not right. He hasn’t hit a home run since August 16, and he can’t make reliable contact. Something is wrong with Ohtani. During the regular season, he dealt with a sore right biceps, neck, and left knee. The Dodgers don’t want Josue De Paula or Kiké Hernández to be their DH, so Ohtani will play in the series though he isn’t hitting. After the Dodgers finish their play, I think Ohtani will address his injuries.

Will Smith hasn’t been hitting during the postseason. Smith missed three months with a neck injury. He returned in September and hit .462. He hasn’t contributed to the offense at all during the postseason, hitting .043.  However, Dave Roberts wants Smith’s expertise behind the plate.

The Dodgers have hit 2-for-26 with runners in scoring position. This is a problem. They can’t win the series, maybe a game, unless they improve their situational hitting. Kyle Tucker’s double is the only extra-base hit, and the Dodgers must flex their muscles to score enough runs. Unlike the Brewers, the Dodgers can’t create havoc on the bases.

The Dodgers have faced the Brewers’ starting aces. They have seen many relievers. They have Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow starting Games 3 and 4. The Brewers haven’t seen Edwin Díaz yet.

Yes, the Dodgers will have an uphill battle to advance to the World Series. However, their experience should make the Brewers uneasy. They have played behind in a series before, so they won’t panic.