Betts Urged to Reclaim Leadership Role as Dodgers Face NLCS Deficit

As the Los Angeles Dodgers trail the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series, much of the offensive responsibility is falling on Mookie Betts. Manager Dave Roberts has previously emphasized Betts's impact on the team's performance, a sentiment that has resurfaced as the Dodgers seek to overcome a deficit with their star acquisition, Shohei Ohtani, dealing with physical limitations.

Betts, who was a central figure in the Dodgers' 2020 championship team and a consistent top-five MVP finisher in his early seasons with the club, now finds himself in a position to recapture his previous role as the primary offensive catalyst. The Dodgers' offense has struggled in the early games of the NLCS, with their runs often coming from errors or wild pitches rather than consistent offensive execution.

In the first two games of the NLCS, Betts has recorded two hits in seven at-bats and reached base four times in nine plate appearances. Manager Dave Roberts acknowledged Betts's recent performance, stating, "Mookie’s at-bats at the top, and what he’s done over the last couple months has been very consistent. It’s at-bat quality at the highest level."

Betts's approach was evident in a victory against the Atlanta Braves in the NL Division Series. Against Braves pitcher Chris Sale, Betts worked a full count and singled on the next pitch, contributing to a strategy that tested the opposing pitcher early. "Really just trying to have good at-bats and try to not have a bunch of empty one-out flyouts," Betts said.

This approach extended into the game, where the Dodgers forced Sale to throw 24 pitches in the first inning and 69 by the end of the third. The team eventually capitalized in the fourth inning with home runs from Kiké Hernández and Freddie Freeman. Betts finished that game with two hits, and Roberts noted the importance of such plate appearances: "When you’re getting into a playoff series and you get that first hitter seeing pitches, it sets the tone for the rest of the lineup, and also for that starting pitcher that it’s going to be a grindy day."

However, facing the Brewers presents a different challenge, particularly due to their strong bullpen. "I don’t know that it’s super imperative for us to run up the pitch counts or anything because the back end of their bullpen is arguably better than everybody on the team," Betts commented. "Getting to them isn’t necessarily a huge success."

Betts suggested that scoring opportunities might be more likely against the Brewers' starting pitchers, unless Cy Young Award favorite Jacob Misiorowski is on the mound. "Really scoring runs when you can," Betts said.

Despite the current NLCS deficit, Betts expressed confidence in the team's mindset. "Nobody is really panicking or anything. Obviously we know it’s a tough task. It’s a really good ball club over there. We just have to start one game, one pitch at a time."

He believes the team is not playing poorly but is simply not generating the necessary hits to create scoring surges. "It’s not like we’re playing really bad. I think we’re just not getting the hits that we need to really explode as an offense. One hit can kind of lead to two and then kind of keep us going."

The Dodgers have a history of overcoming playoff adversity, including situations in their 2024 NL Division Series against the San Diego Padres and the previous year's World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays. Betts cited this experience as a source of encouragement. "I think just having that experience, that’s kind of what gives us encouragement. Being that we’ve been here before and we got out of it keeps us in a really good head space.

"Obviously, every year is different, but the same rules apply. We’ve got to just keep playing the game, and that’s really it."