MILWAUKEE — The Dodgers haven’t a lot overwhelmed opponents this postseason as they’ve worn them down. A lineup that underperformed for a lot of the summer season has been relentless, resourceful and unstoppable within the fall.
And deep. Did we point out deep? As a result of whereas the Dodgers have stars on the high of that lineup, it’s been the gamers on the backside who’ve carried out essentially the most harm.
Tuesday’s 5-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers in Sport 2 of the Nationwide League Championship Collection is the latest instance of that. The Brewers managed to maintain Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman in examine, solely to see Teoscar Hernández, Tommy Edman, Kiké Hernández and Andy Pages knock them down repeatedly, combining for seven hits, three runs and three RBIs to offer the Dodgers a commanding 2-0 lead within the best-of-seven sequence which resumes Thursday at Dodger Stadium.
And that’s been a development all postseason: The sixth by means of ninth hitters within the Dodgers lineup are slashing .302/.391/.448 with 14 RBIs and a playoff-best 35 hits in eight video games. The highest 5 hitters within the order are batting .235.
Tommy Edman celebrates after hitting a ground-rule double within the fourth inning towards the Brewers in Sport 2 of the NLCS on Tuesday.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Instances)
“It’s simply that belief and perception we now have in one another that when you don’t get the job carried out, the man behind you goes to do it,” mentioned Kiké Hernández, whose two hits Tuesday raised his postseason common to a team-high .379. Hernández has additionally scored a playoff-high seven runs.
“We all know that, one by means of 9, we now have the most effective and deepest lineup within the league.”
And the hits have been essential ones, with Teoscar Hernández tying the rating together with his second-inning house run and Andy Pages, banished to the underside of the order after managing only a single in his first 27 postseason at-bats, untying it three batters later by doubling in Kiké Hernández.
“I used to be simply in search of a pitch within the zone that I may hit effectively,” Pages, who drove a 1-1 change-up into the right-field nook, mentioned in Spanish. “Clearly it was actually essential. It put the staff forward. However extra essential was that I used to be in a position to make good contact.”
Making contact and placing the ball in play has been an indicator of the underside half of the Dodgers’ lineup — and it’s in all probability a giant think about its success. Even together with his struggles, Pages has struck out simply six instances in eight video games; leadoff hitter Ohtani has fanned extra that twice as typically.
“Any time you may create visitors, particularly within the postseason, it places lots of strain on the opposing pitchers,” Max Muncy mentioned. “And any time you may get guys on base, it simply amplifies that and so they’re extra liable to make errors.”
“From the start,” Teoscar Hernández added, “it’s placing strain on the opposite aspect. We nonetheless need to go there and get our job carried out.”
The postseason highlight is one Kiké Hernández and Edman have thrived beneath earlier than. Hernández is batting .330 in his final seven postseason sequence with the Dodgers, virtually 100 factors higher than his profession regular-season common. And Edman, who matched Hernández with two hits Tuesday, was named MVP of the NLCS final season after hitting .407 within the Dodgers’ victory over the Mets.
“These guys, they had been made for this second,” Teoscar Hernández, who leads all postseason gamers with 10 RBIs. “Kiké, I do know he’s doesn’t get lots of alternatives within the common season, however he is aware of what he can do.”
“He was a participant who was born for this second,” Pages added of Kiké Hernández. “He’s demonstrated that. And he retains doing it.”
One other key to doing effectively within the postseason, Teoscar Hernández mentioned, isn’t taking note of it. Every sport, he mentioned, affords one other likelihood for achievement or failure and within the playoffs, every sport — and every at-bat — is magnified.
So it’s all about what you’ve carried out currently. Play the sport, have fun the victory or mourn the defeat, then flush it and prepare to do it once more.
“I do know we now have huge names in our lineup. We now have actually good gamers,” he mentioned. “However on the identical time, we nonetheless need to go there and get our job carried out. It’s not as a result of we had a superb lineup that we rating lots of runs. We go there with confidence, with a plan and the simply attempt to execute.”
If they will do this two extra instances at house this week, the Dodgers can finish the Brewers season and provides themselves every week’s relaxation earlier than returning to the World Collection for the second time in as a few years.
“We’re good. We’re actually good,” mentioned Kiké Hernández, who is without doubt one of the causes for that. “The expertise, the belief that we now have in one another, that if we’re down within the sport early, we’re going to discover a approach to come again and tie it or take the lead.
“We’re 2-0 within the NLCS, however the objective is to win a World Collection, to not win two video games on the street. And as we’re nonetheless taking part in the Milwaukee Brewers, we’re going to deal with them and take it in the future at a time. We haven’t actually achieved something but.”
However after they do, anticipate the accomplishment to come back from the underside up.
