Dodgers shut down by Brewers in NLCS opener as lineup struggles again

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers created a handful of scoring opportunities in Game 1 of the NL Championship Series. They ended up with one big hit.

It's been that kind of October for Los Angeles so far.

The Dodgers went 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position during Sunday night's 2-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. They grounded into three double plays and left nine runners on base.

“Any loss in the playoffs is not great but it’s a long series and it’s just the first game,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said.

The Dodgers have scored a total of 15 runs in their five playoff games so far. They are 2 for 22 with runners in scoring position, adding to the difficulty of their pursuit of a third consecutive World Series championship.

They scored 24 runs and hit .324 with runners in scoring position over their first five postseason games in 2024. They scored 29 times and batted .265 with runners in scoring position over the same period in last year's playoffs.

“We had our chances, but they made plays, pitches when they needed to,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after Game 1 against Milwaukee. “We’ve just got to reset.”

Catcher Will Smith is 1 for 19 in the postseason after going 0 for 3 with a walk against the Brewers. Shohei Ohtani is 3 for 16 with no extra-base hits or RBIs. Mookie Betts is 4 for 18.

Betts was the leadoff hitter for the NLCS opener. Smith batted third, and Ohtani was in the cleanup spot. Asked about changing the lineup to help Smith, Roberts acknowledged that was a possibility.

“I think there’s always lineup construction,” Roberts said. “I can think through — yeah, he’s not swinging the bat well. Yeah, we’ll see. I just — it’s hard because the body of work, and he just has that knack to get a hit, to get a big hit.”

Smith batted .276 (16 for 58) with eight RBIs in the postseason last year. He homered twice in the World Series against Toronto.

Los Angeles scored its only run Sunday night when Ohtani scampered home on Andy Pages' single in the second. The Dodgers had the bases loaded when Kiké Hernández bounced into an inning-ending double play against Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski .

Pages struck out with runners on the corners for the final out of the sixth. Batting with two on and two down in the ninth, Betts flied to the warning track in center.

“That’s a great pitching staff," Freeman said. "That’s two great pitching staffs. Two great teams going at it. It’s kind of what we envisioned.”

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