‘Cellar under the floor’ Betts-Freeman goes 1-for-21 in ‘sophomore slump’
The biggest reason for elimination is the collapse of the starting lineup. It killed the team’s momentum from the start. But the offense was no less to blame.
The bats of the Most Valuable Player (MVP) duo that led the Los Angeles Dodgers offense in the regular season went cold throughout the National League Division Series (NLDS).
The Los Angeles Dodgers hosted the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 3 of the NLDS on June 12 at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona.
The Dodgers fell to 2-4 after starting pitcher Lance Lynn was hit by four home runs in the third inning. The Dodgers packed it in early with a sweep.
The biggest culprits in the LA Dodgers’ loss were Clayton Kershaw, who gave up six runs in 1 1/3 innings, Bobby Miller, who gave up three runs in 1 2/3 innings, and Lance Lynn, who gave up four runs in 2 2/3 innings.
But along with that, there are two players who have to take a lot of the blame. Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, the Dodgers’ table-setters and the heart of the batting order.
They went 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout in Game 1 and 1-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout in Game 2. They drove in one run each, but that’s not enough to make them an MVP duo.
The thing is, Game 1 was their best performance. They went a combined 1-for-8 in Game 2 (a single) and a combined 8-for-8 in Game 3, meaning that over the course of the three-game series, they combined for 21 at-bats, one hit, two walks, and two runs scored.
Their combined numbers are just a .048 batting average with a .167 slugging percentage and a .214 OPS. It’s hard to believe this is coming off a regular season OPS of over 0.900.
The excuse that the starting lineup struggled is only good for Game 1. If they played like they did in the regular season, they could have taken games two and three.메이저사이트
Of course, they’ll be good again in 2024. However, the Dodgers will need to perform in the postseason if they want to reach even greater heights.