The Los Angeles Dodgers are officially heading to the NLCS.
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The Boys in Blue defeated a strong Philadelphia Phillies team 2-1 on Thursday evening in an exciting classic in extra time. Now the team can rest for a few days before resuming their postseason run Monday night against the Chicago Cubs or the Milwaukee Brewers.
While the team is certainly thrilled to have defeated an opponent that many thought would be the toughest on the way to another World Series title, the ballclub is far from satisfied.
A number of players spoke to the media after the win over the Phillies. Max Muncy in particular thinks the Dodgers are just scratching the surface of how good things can move forward.
“I still think there’s still some acceleration to be done. I don’t think we’ve fully reached where we can be,” Muncy said. “And that doesn’t mean we are, and that doesn’t mean we aren’t. But I still think there’s a whole other level that we haven’t reached yet.”
All-Star catcher Will Smith spoke specifically about Shohei Ohtani’s struggles in the NLDS and firmly believes the all-around talent can turn things around quickly.
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“I think there’s another acceleration. Look at Shohei,” Smith said. “He hasn’t done much this series. I expect him to come out in the next series and hit five home runs. That’s just who he is.”
Kiké Hernández echoed those sentiments, focusing on how the Dodgers will lean on their championship status in the future.
“I think we can be better. We didn’t necessarily defend like we can defend. We didn’t hit like we can hit. Even though we beat a really, really good team, we can be even better,” Hernandez said.
“That speaks volumes about this group. We’ve been through so much together. We’ve been tested and we’re going to find a way to win a ball game even when things don’t go our way.”
Ohtani’s struggle was well captured in this series. He went 1-for-18 with nine strikeouts and two walks. Part of that has to do with the elite left-handed pitching that Philadelphia used. However, the quality of Ohtani’s batting was far below what it should be.
He seems to be gambling on the pitches – swinging wildly at the first pitch, no matter where it is, hoping to make contact. From that moment on, an indecisive character took over.
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It will probably be good for Ohtani (and Andy Pages) to hit the reset button with a few days off and meet a new pitching staff, be it the Cubs or the Brewers.
If those two get going, coupled with the expected improvement of Smith and Muncy coming back from their respective injuries, it will be difficult to knock off the Dodgers in a seven-game series.
Photo credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn images
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