The Los Angeles Dodgers continue their postseason journey on Monday when they face the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series at American Family Field.
It’s no secret the Dodgers struggled against the Brewers during the regular season as they lost all six head-to-head meetings.
However, each of those matchups took place during a two-week span in July when the Dodgers were missing several key players due to injury.
Now back to nearly full strength, Miguel Rojas believes L.A. will be more competitive against Milwaukee this time around.
“The difference is that our guys are healthy,” Rojas said ahead of Game 1 of the NLCS. “Everybody knows our pitching staff has been carrying us for the last two months of the year, and they’ve been throwing the ball really well. And our team got healthier.
“I remember when we came here, we didn’t have Kiké, we didn’t have Blake, we didn’t have a couple of the guys. And we were playing a little short on the bench and the backend of the bullpen and the starting pitching.
“I feel like right now we’re in a really good place to kind of go head-to-head with the best of the National League. They showed the whole league and the world that they were the best team in the league during the regular season and they deserve it.
“We didn’t play good against them in the regular season. But we have another chance. Here we are, the last two teams standing in the National League. And we’re looking forward for the challenge.”
As Rojas noted, the Dodgers are a much different team now compared to a few months ago. Particularly in the starting rotation, with Blake Snell and Shohei Ohtani contributing on a regular basis.
The Dodgers’ position-player group is also improved with Max Muncy and Kiké Hernández having returned to the lineup. The same can be said for the bench, due in part to the trade deadline acquisitions of Ben Rortvedt and Alex Call.
Miguel Rojas impresses Brewers manager
Rojas has solidified a strong role for the Dodgers off the bench while also making starts at multiple positions as needed. His impact is not lost on the team, nor Brewers manager Pat Murphy.
“They’ve got great ones,” Murphy said of the Dodgers. “The Rojas kid has killed us. If he hits against us, he gets a hit. He’s been unbelievable. So I respect the heck out of them. I really do.”
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