The Dodgers are four wins away from another World Series appearance, but their offense hasn’t exactly been red-hot on the way here.
And things aren’t getting any easier against Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski in Game 1 of the NLCS.
The 24-year-old flamethrower put together one of the best seasons from a starting pitcher in recent MLB history, leading the majors with a 1.80 ERA, 252 strikeouts and a 0.80 WHIP.
He’s also made a habit of dominating the mighty Dodgers.
In three career appearances against Los Angeles, including two regular-season starts, Misiorowski has surrendered just three earned runs across 17 innings while striking out 27 batters.
There has been one notable exception to that dominance: Shohei Ohtani.
The four-time MVP has hit a home run and a triple against The Miz, which is more than any other Dodgers hitter can say.
The problem for the Dodgers is that Ohtani currently looks like a shell of his usual self.
He’s battling lingering biceps and knee injuries, which have apparently limited him at the plate in addition to taking him off the mound.
Ohtani hit just .154 against the Braves in the NLDS after batting .157 over his final 18 regular-season games.
The rest of the Dodgers’ lineup hasn’t exactly picked up the slack.
Despite beating Atlanta in four games, they scored just 14 runs in the series and went an abysmal 1-for-23 with runners in scoring position.
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The Dodgers haven’t scored more than five runs in nine consecutive games dating back to September, averaging just 3.1 runs during that stretch.
Against arguably the most dominant pitcher in baseball this season, there’s little reason to expect that offensive slump to end.
The play: Dodgers team total under 2.5 runs (+115, FanDuel Sportsbook)
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Dylan Svoboda is a versatile writer and analyst across many sports. He’s particularly knowledgeable about the big three — MLB, the NFL and the NBA.
