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Alden Gonzalez
With two on and two out in the fourth inning of Game 5, tommy adman took my best swing at trey yesways Slider that stayed above the zone. Edman came right under it. The popup fell harmlessly into the gloves. toronto blue jays shortstop andres jimenezStopping the early threat against an up-and-coming player who was just starting to find his rhythm.
for weeks, los angeles dodgersHitters were frustrated not only by the overall lack of production but also by their inability to finish rallies. Adman’s popup was just the latest example. The Dodgers did not put any other runners in scoring position on Wednesday night, continuing a longtime trend that left their season on the brink and many of their hitters confused.
Said mookie bets: “We have to figure something out.”
Due to increasing urgency and his lack of patience, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts made relatively drastic changes to his lineup before Game 5. Will Smith Betts became the first catcher in 90 years to bat at number 2 in a World Series game, moving him to the third position for the first time since 2021. alex call Number 9-hitting replaced andy pagesJoe was able to hit only four hits in 50 at-bats in these playoffs.
The changes didn’t work. The Dodgers struck out 12 and managed only three hits in seven innings against the Yeshwas, losing a crucial game and finding themselves forced to win on two consecutive nights in Toronto to secure the championship.
On Wednesday, Yesavage’s command was sharp, his slider terrific, but the Dodgers’ struggles extended far beyond him. Since hovering in the past cincinnati reds In the wild-card round, their hitters are slashing a combined .214/.306/.360 in 13 playoff games, during which they have produced a .544 OPS with runners in scoring position. The Dodgers’ nine wins in that span are testament to a starting rotation that is unfairly being asked to solo.
Utility man, “It’s hard for a pitching staff to be up every game.” enrique hernandez Said. “We’re not really doing much as an offense. Whenever we get opportunities, we don’t take advantage of them. We’re going through one of those difficulties right now; it’s a really bad time to get them in the World Series.”
The Dodgers went through a similar low point in midseason. From July 4 to August 13, when they went 12–21 and blew an eight-game division lead, he batted .235 and scored the majors’ sixth-fewest runs per game. Eventually, they got it right. And although their regular season was generally weak, the Dodgers approached October with the thought that their best baseball was ahead of them. This was a belief inspired by their starting pitching, which was dominant enough to stifle any opposing lineup and deep enough to cause most bullpen issues. But the crime was expected to be demonstrated.
It seemed like a given, until it wasn’t.
“We have a lot of people who are not attractive right now,” Edman said, “they’re not feeling their best.”
It starts from the top.
In Game 5, the Nos. 1-4 hitters in the Dodgers’ lineup combined to go 1 for 15 with eight strikeouts. shohei ohtani Has strung together three stellar offensive performances – homering twice in the playoff opener, clinching a pennant with a three-homer game and reaching base nine times in an 18-inning marathon earlier this week – but he is 6 for 48 in 12 other playoff games. Freeman is batting .235 over the last three outings. Bates is 3 for 23 in the World Series.
“I’ve been terrible,” Bates said. “I wish it was for lack of trying, but it’s not.”
And it’s not just three future Hall of Famers. Its max munsey (.188/.339/.354 postseason slash line). This is Page (.215 OPS, lowest ever for a player with at least 50 plate appearances in a single playoff game). This is Enrique Hernandez, who is having one of the best October performances in history (.844 career OPS in the postseason, but 4-for-26 in his last seven games).
In 123 innings since the wild-card round, the Dodgers have scored three or more runs only three times. And although it’s hard enough to kill at this time of year, their opponent is providing a snapshot of what’s possible.
The Blue Jays have swept the Dodgers by 11 runs in this series and by 36 runs in these playoffs, even though they have only played one more game.
“It doesn’t feel very good,” Roberts said. “You can clearly see those guys are looking for ways to get hits, move the baseball, and we’re not doing a good job of that.”
After a night in which the Dodgers got a single home run and nothing else, ultimately taking only one at-bat with a runner in scoring position, Roberts stressed the importance of making adjustments to his team – shortening up, hitting the ball another way, working on deeper counts and getting the opposing bullpen more involved.
“We have to hit the ball,” Muncy said. “You look at what they’re doing, they’re putting the ball in play a lot, and it’s finding spots. We’re not putting the ball in play a lot, and when we do, it looks like it’s finding the glove.”
The Dodgers are striking out at a 25.3% rate in this series, which is three percentage points higher than their performance during the regular season. Their chase rate is 28.6%, compared to 25.9% from March to September. It’s a surge, but not seismic, especially when you factor in the added difficulty of facing so many high-lever weapons in October. Some of his players believe the biggest problem is that they are stuck in the middle – passive at the wrong time, too aggressive on pitches they can’t stick to and generally not diligent enough with their approach.
“We just have to be better at selecting the pitches we want to swing at,” the Dodgers outfielder said. teoscar hernandez Said. “We just have to come up with a better plan and not try to do too much with the pitches they throw. Every pitcher in the playoffs, he makes the best pitches and best spots he can make, and we have to adjust to that and just try to do damage on those we can handle.”
Late Wednesday night, as players gathered their luggage and prepared to board another cross-country flight to Toronto, many of them found hope in the rejuvenation of an off day. They know Rogers Center will be rocking Friday night, eager to celebrate the Blue Jays’ first championship in 32 years, but they took solace in the fact that they had to contend with – yoshinobu yamamotoFresh from another nine-inning mastery.
They also know that he cannot do this work alone.
“We have a lot of confidence in him, but we have to hit,” Bates said. “Yoshi is going to do his job. Obviously we need him. But we have to hit. There’s no way to avoid it.”
