Baseball-Dodgers' dynasty on the ropes as bats go cold against Brewers

LOS ANGELES, Oct 13 — The Los Angeles Dodgers have spent the last two Octobers spraying champagne. This ​year they may be facing an early winter.

The two-time defending World Series champions trail the Milwaukee Brewers 2-0 in the National League Championship Series after a 7-4 loss ‌on Monday. Their pitching has wobbled and their lineup has barely made a sound.

On Monday, Milwaukee shattered Yoshinobu Yamamoto's aura of ⁠postseason invincibility. Christian Yelich hit a two-run ​single to knock out the 2025 World Series ⁠MVP after just 2-2/3 innings.

A day earlier, the Brewers chased prized midseason acquisition Tarik Skubal ‌after five innings on their ‌way to a 2-1 win in Game 1.

Still, the mound is not the ⁠Dodgers' biggest problem. Their star-studded lineup is hitting .193 this postseason ⁠and is 2-for-26 with runners in scoring position. On Monday they managed three hits.

SLUMPING OHTANI TO BAT IN GAME THREE

Shohei Ohtani's bat has also gone quiet. The four-time MVP has been playing through problems with his left knee, right biceps and neck, and it shows.

He went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts on Monday. He is now batting .150 (3-for-20) in the postseason, ‌with seven strikeouts and no extra-base hits.

The slump is bad ​enough that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had considered resting him for Game 3 but said on Tuesday that the Japanese slugger would be in the lineup.

"I did speak to Sho, had a great conversation," Roberts told reporters at Dodger Stadium.

"He's adamant he feels good enough to be in there. He's close to finding something with his swing. I feel great about it.

"He wants to be in there and help us win a ballgame and win a ​championship. Great conversation, and I'm excited about having him in there."

The Dodgers have escaped tight spots before. In ‌last year's Fall ‌Classic, they trailed ⁠the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 and won the last two games on the road to take the title.

Heading into a pivotal Game 3, Dodgers starter Blake Snell made it clear that turning the tide begins with a single spark.

"A big thing is momentum. Once you shift it, especially at ‌home, anything can happen," he ​told reporters.

"We saw what happened when we played Toronto. ‌I'm not worried. We've just ⁠got to get ​it going. I think once we do that, we'll be fine."

(Reporting by Rory Carroll; Editing by Toby ​Davis, Peter Rutherford)

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