Los Angeles Dodgers face lineup and bullpen adjustments in NLCS
- Entering Game 3 of the postseason against the Brewers, the Los Angeles Dodgers face adjustments to their lineup, bullpen management, and strike-zone approach, mlb.com reported.
- The primary offensive challenge centers on Shohei Ohtani, who has struggled through a 3-for-20 postseason start featuring only three singles while managing left knee and right biceps injuries.
- Milwaukee's relief corps dominated the first two games, including tossing five perfect innings in Game 2 behind heavy usage of high-leverage arms like Aaron Ashby, Abner Uribe, and...
Entering Game 3 of the postseason against the Brewers, the Los Angeles Dodgers face adjustments to their lineup, bullpen management, and strike-zone approach, mlb.com reported. Catcher Will Smith acknowledged the urgency following the team’s latest loss, stating that the group simply has to play better baseball.
Shuffling the Lineup While Trusting the Core Offense
The primary offensive challenge centers on Shohei Ohtani, who has struggled through a 3-for-20 postseason start featuring only three singles while managing left knee and right biceps injuries. Manager Dave Roberts and the organization must weigh whether to sit the three-time NL MVP in favor of top prospect Josue De Paula or keep him in the cleanup spot. Meanwhile, Kyle Tucker has hit well while batting eighth, raising questions about whether to elevate him or drop Smith following a 1-for-23 playoff slump. Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Max Muncy maintain deep October track records, giving Los Angeles options to tweak order configurations around Andy Pages—who boasts a 4-for-5 career mark against Game 3 starter Robert Gasser—and second baseman Kiké Hernández.
We’ve just got to play better baseball. It’s a long seven-game series. … Win the next game, and we’ll go from there.
Will Smith
Capitalizing on Reliever Fatigue in the Milwaukee Bullpen
Milwaukee’s relief corps dominated the first two games, including tossing five perfect innings in Game 2 behind heavy usage of high-leverage arms like Aaron Ashby, Abner Uribe, and Trevor Megill. However, the Brewers must navigate three games in three consecutive nights and deploy deeper bullpen options such as DL Hall, JoJo Romero, Chad Patrick, and Antonio Senzatela. With Robert Gasser slated to start Game 3 on Wednesday and Dustin May potentially following in Game 4 on Thursday, Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy faces shorter recovery windows and cannot lean on his top relievers with the same aggressive frequency.
Attacking the Strike Zone Against a Disciplined Milwaukee Approach
The Brewers led Major League Baseball during the regular season with a 26.9% chase rate and recorded the lowest swing rate in the league at 44.1%, well below the 47.7% average. To counter a lineup that refuses to expand the zone, the Dodgers turn to Blake Snell for Game 3 and Tyler Glasnow for Game 4. Snell posted a career-low walk rate during the regular season and will pitch at home in Los Angeles, where the pitching staff aims to avoid issuing free passes and exploit Milwaukee’s relative vulnerability against left-handed pitching.
Overcoming Historical Postseason Deficits
While falling behind two games to zero creates a formidable obstacle, the Dodgers have recovered from similar playoff deficits in past years.