The Los Angeles Dodgers versus Milwaukee Brewers series looked virtually even in every way statistically. Both teams have won more than 100 games the last two seasons. Both teams have really good pitching. Both teams hit for a high average. Both teams play pretty decent defense (top half in runs-saved according to Fangraphs). But there is a reason the Milwaukee Brewers have won the first two games of the National League championship series to go along with a season series thumping of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Just like that old friend who had the hots for you, but you could never muster the feelings to begin a romance, the Brewers use something called… gasp… bunting… and… the stolen base. 

Just like Edna Crampus, the sacrifice bunt has always been there for the Dodgers. The Dodgers have ignored it in favor of the hot girl, the home run. Just like Edna, the bunt listens to their problems. It tells them that they’re good enough to deserve something better than the last girl who just walked out of their lives. But the Dodgers refuse to recognize that the solution to their despair has been – and I quote Taylor Swift – “been here the whole time.”

The Brewers trust each other. They trust that the guy behind them is going to get the job done or is going to put pressure on the defense. The Dodgers do not as the game progressed Monday night Dodgers swings kept getting longer and longer whereas Brewer swings kept getting shorter. Put the ball and play. But the ball to move a runner over. Steal a base if you can. The Padres had 92 more stolen bases compared to Los Angels. Make productive contact with two outs. It’s called… Small ball.

Now the Dodgers do some parts of small ball very well. In the notable cases of Freddie Freeman, Mookie, bats Kike Hernandez, Kyle Tucker and Oscar Hernandez there was a willingness to take pitches. They also stopped lunging at pitches, kept their weight back, and brought the knob of the bat through first. There were multiple lineouts as a result. Sometimes those line drives just don’t fall. The problem for the Dodgers is the Brewers also did those things and more of those line drives fell. Milwaukee was simply able to move runners over to second and third base and get them in. 

But their approach was good enough -perfect in fact- to get Brewers’ starting pitcher, Jacob Misiorowski, out of the game in the fourth inning of Game 1.

The game went exactly as predicted if the Dodger hitters took a good approach at the plate. But the Brewer‘s bullpen was more than up to the challenge. In fact -in record setting fashion- they became the first bullpen to not allow a single base runner in the first five innings of a postseason series.

WHy did the relievers succeed where Misiorowski failed? In part because Dodger hitters somewhat abandoned the idea of going the other way and of being patient in order to take advantage of the bullpen. So, in essence, they failed to continue to do what got them there.

In Game 2, Mookie bats hit a ground ball to the right side and was pumping his fist even before he reached first base because he knew he had moved the runner over to third. He obviously understands what’s going on. And now that he’s the lead off hitter once again, the Dodgers would do well to follow his lead. Stay back on the ball. Turn the hips. Bring the knob through. Make contact.

Their aggression with two strikes throughout the regular season and the playoffs had them hit into 128 double plays during the year and another four in the postseason. The majority of these came from swinging at pitches that were below the strike zone and ground balls hit meekly to waiting infielders.

If L.A. can’t do better at the plate, the only way the Dodgers are going to win this series is if the starters go eight innings of no-hit or shutout ball. That means perfect pitches, and that means out thinking the opposition. This includes throwing high fast balls in situations where the batters will be attempting to sacrifice bunt. It will also require the Dodgers to do bunting and stealing of their own.

It will also require Shohei Ohtani to stop moving his feet when he’s trying to hit the baseball. He’s trying so hard to turn on the ball to hit it to right that he’s totally destroyed any chances of making decent contact. In Game 1 he did a really good job of keeping his front foot planted in the ground and just turning his hips. The baseball swing does not start with the hands or the arms. It starts with the hips. It might be a micro second before, but that’s how the swing works. Big muscles turn the body and the arms follow. He made decent contact and had much better at bats in game one.

Then he tinkered with something and started spinning out in Game 2. His back foot is no longer planted in the ground, and is now skimming along the dirt towards the catcher as he’s swinging. My guess is whatever ails him has not yet healed. But instead of trying to do more, he should be trying to do less. He’s got great hand eye coordination. Easy to say, but he just needs to trust it. His strength and the super hard maple bat he swings will start yielding hits.

But, if he doesn’t figure it out, he should be treated no differently than any other player who’s struggling. He should be dropped down the lineup or Josue de Paula should be given a chance. The 21 year-old phenom just called up from AA should be allowed to take his hacks. And to draw his walks… Something he does exceptionally well for a player so young. The chances of that happening are not very high, but it might be the wake up call Ohtani needs…and what the Dodgers need.

Hats off to the Milwaukee Brewers for continuing to do what they did all year. They won 103 games for several reasons and their willingness to date Wanda Fluglehorn is one of them. Unless their starting pitching implodes, which is possible, and their relievers suddenly become unable to get anybody out after being perfect (which certainly has happened in the postseason before) they appear to have a stranglehold on this series. Once the bruises heal, perhaps the Dodgers will go back to Olga Bathgar who has been there for them all these years and ask her, when do we sacrifice bunt again?

The more likely option is the Dodgers will go out in search of someone else to hit 25 home runs. The new girl may be hot, but she won’t help them beat the Brewers.