With Shohei Ohtani's physical limitations impacting the Dodgers' offense in the NLCS, Mookie Betts is stepping up as the crucial leader, drawing on his consistent at-bats and playoff experience to rally the team.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, currently trailing the Brewers in the National League Championship Series and struggling offensively due to a physically limited Shohei Ohtani, are increasingly relying on Mookie Betts. Once the undisputed best player on the 2020 championship team, Betts is now expected to rekindle his MVP-caliber performance to jumpstart the team's offense, which scored only once in Game 1 and relied on errors/wild pitches for all four runs in Game 2. Despite the team's struggles, Betts has been a consistent presence, going 2-for-7 through the first two games and reaching base four times in nine plate appearances. Manager Dave Roberts emphasizes Betts' 'at-bat quality at the highest level,' noting how his plate discipline can wear down opposing pitchers and set the tone for the entire lineup, as demonstrated in a critical NLDS Game 3 victory against the Braves where he forced Chris Sale to throw 69 pitches by the third inning. Against the Brewers' formidable bullpen, Betts acknowledges that the strategy isn't necessarily to run up pitch counts, but rather to capitalize on scoring opportunities against their starting pitchers. Despite the challenging situation, Betts expresses that the team is in a good headspace, not panicking, and finds encouragement in their past playoff comebacks. He believes the team isn't playing poorly but needs key hits to ignite their offense and overcome the current deficit.
