The Los Angeles Dodgers made it to the NLCS amid their pursuit of their third straight World Series title. Facing the Milwaukee Brewers, the Dodgers have shown life through two games, but they’re down 0-2 in the series so far.
With the series shifting to Los Angeles for the next three games, can the Dodgers make a comeback and reach the World Series? It’s entirely possible, especially if they can get after the Brewers’ pitching more going forward.
However, MLB insider Ken Rosenthal for The Athletic believes that this is the end for the Dodgers. He doesn’t believe Los Angeles can make this comeback, as it’s “difficult to imagine” this Dodgers team winning four of the next five games in this NLCS.
MLB insider believes Dodgers’ season might be over down 0-2 to Brewers
“It’s not over. But if you were to picture the end of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ championship run, this is how it would look, no?” Rosenthal writes.
What Rosenthal is referring to is the injury and struggles of Shohei Ohtani at the plate; taking away the Dodgers’ best player due to an injury certainly hurts their chances of making a run this season.
Add in that the rest of the lineup is continuing to struggle, with one extra-base hit through two games in the NLCS against the Brewers.
Finally, and maybe the most damning, is that “Co-aces Tarik Skubal and Yoshinobu Yamamoto lasted a combined 7 2/3 innings in their two starts.”
If the Dodgers’ best pitchers cannot go deep into these NLCS games, it’s going to be incredibly difficult to beat this Brewers team.
MORE: How Mets could have advantage over Dodgers in free-agent pursuit of Tarik Skubal
Rosenthal wrote that, “It’s difficult to imagine the Dodgers taking four of the next five games, even with the next three at home.”
He isn’t completely writing the Dodgers off just yet, as they’re still the Dodgers, and it’s “difficult to imagine them just fading away.”
While things aren’t going well for the Dodgers right now, there is too much talent on this team for them not to make a legitimate push, at least during their three-game homestand.
The Dodgers may rediscover their offense at home and stay alive in this series to at least get it back to Milwaukee for Game 6 or maybe even a Game 7.
But down 0-2 to the Brewers, Rosenthal does believe, to a certain degree, that Los Angeles’ chances of winning this series are over. It’s not done yet, but Ohtani’s issues, the lackluster offense, and the pitching staff’s poor play have the Dodgers on the ropes.
More MLB news: