The star-studded Los Angeles Dodgers, so used to winning year after year, find themselves in unfamiliar territory lately — on the brink of playoff elimination.
asserted
Dodgers → stud → elimination
The two-time defending World Series champions are aiming to become the first National League team to win a third straight title and the first club to three-peat since the New York Yankees from 1998-2000.
asserted
champions → defend → 1998
But that seems increasingly unlikely.
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that → seem → ?
The Dodgers are facing a 3-0 deficit against Milwaukee in the National League Championship Series after losing 6-2 on Wednesday.
asserted
Dodgers → face → Wednesday
They’ll need to win four games in a row to advance, starting Thursday in Game 4 at Dodger Stadium.
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They → need → Stadium
“It looks like we’re going to have to make a little more history along the way if we want to accomplish that,” third baseman Max Muncy said.
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Muncy → look → that
“We still have the pitching staff to be able to do it.
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staff → have → it
We just have to get some hits.”
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We → have → hits
Los Angeles cranked out 204 homers in the regular season — seventh in MLB — but have none so far in the NLCS.
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Angeles → crank → NLCS
“It’s just this whole series they’ve outslugged us, outhit us,” manager Dave Roberts said.
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Roberts → ’ → us
“We’ve got to get a lead and find a way to tack on.”
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We → get → way
The Dodgers scored twice in the sixth inning to take a 2-1 lead in Game 3 before pinch-hitter Kiké Hernández came up with runners on second and third and one out.
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Hernández → score → second
But he struck out swinging, and Tommy Edman took a called third strike to end the inning.
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Edman → strike → inning
“That was the game right there,” Hernández said.
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Hernández → say → ?
“We need to put the ball in play.
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We → need → play
I struck out and gave Tommy a way harder job with two outs.
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I → strike → outs
I have had two of the biggest at-bats in the series for our team and I haven’t been able to come through.
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I → have → team
I just need to do my job.”
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I → need → job
Tyler Glasnow is scheduled to pitch Thursday for the Dodgers, who are 44-42 in postseason elimination games.
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who → schedule → games
If they can find a way to win, they would host Game 5 on Friday.
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they → find → Friday
“We’ve never been in this big of a hole,” Hernández said, “but we’ve had our backs against the wall plenty of times before, and we’ve come out of it.
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we → say → it
We’re just trying to do it one more time.”
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We → try → it
Except none of the Dodgers’ hitters are doing much of anything.
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none → do → anything
Kyle Tucker, who struggled mightily in the regular season, has been a bright spot.
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who → struggle → season
He’s batting .304 after going 1 for 3 on Wednesday.
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He → bat → Wednesday
But the top of the lineup — Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernández — was a combined 1 for 11 in Game 3, when the Dodgers totaled five hits.
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Dodgers → combine → hits
The deepest slumps involve four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani and catcher Will Smith.
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slumps → involve → Ohtani
Ohtani was 1 for 2, raising his average to .182 a year after being MVP of the NLCS sweep against the Brewers.
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Ohtani → raise → Brewers
In Game 2, the Dodgers mustered just three hits in a 7-4 loss.
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Dodgers → muster → loss
The only team in major league history to come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a best-of-seven postseason series was the 2004 Boston Red Sox, who got a gutsy stolen base from Roberts to spark their comeback against the New York Yankees in the AL Championship Series.
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who → come → Series
Roberts was asked if he might reminisce with his Dodgers players about that before Thursday’s game.
uncertain
he → ask → game
“I don’t think so.
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I → think → ?
I think they’ve seen the documentary.
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they → think → documentary
They know it can happen,” he said.
asserted
he → know → ?
The Aporia
