The Los Angeles Dodgers are down 3-2 in the 2025 World Series and will face elimination at Rogers Centre in Game 6 against the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Dodgers have relied on two historic pitching performances to pick up their wins in the World Series, as offense has been a consistent issue throughout the postseason. They have scored more than five runs in a game just once since the start of the National League Division Series, and it took 18 innings to scratch their sixth run across.
In the World Series, the Dodgers have scored just 18 runs in 54 innings, giving them an average of three per game. In the last two games, the Dodgers have totaled just two runs while going 10-for-61 and 0-for-6, respectively, with runners in scoring position.
“It doesn’t feel great,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after the Game 5 loss. “You clearly see those guys finding ways to get hits, move the baseball forward, and we’re not doing a good job of it. I thought (Trey) Yesavage was good tonight mixing his fastball, slider, and the split. But, yeah, you still have to use the whole field and take what they give you.
“And if they’re not going to allow for slug, then you’ve got to be able to kind of redirect and club down to take competitive at-bats, and you see whether it’s (Addison) Barger or (Bo) Bichette, those guys are doing it. But again, we have that ability. We’ve got to make some adjustments.
“We have seen (Kevin) Gausman a ton, a lot of our guys have seen him, so we just got to come in fresh. We’ve been in elimination games, a core group of these guys, and we got to find a way to win a game. That’s it.”
Even more concerning is the Dodgers’ offensive issues stem with their entire lineup, and it’s not limited to any one or two specific players. Outside of Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith, everyone has fallen short of expectations, most notably Mookie Betts and Andy Pages.
Roberts dropped Betts in the order and benched Pages in Game 5, but the issues still persisted, and things got even worse. Limited options remain for further potential change, with no clear solution on how to get things turned around.
“The hitting guys talk to ’em, I talk to ’em at times, as far as kind of not giving any of the mechanics, just more of trying to free ’em up to go out there and just compete, and whatever it takes to free these guys up and not try to put too much pressure on themselves because everyone wants to perform,” Roberts said.
“They’re all prepared. But, yeah, there’s times I try to intervene and try to take a little bit of the anxiety out.”
The Dodgers are now tasked with two must-win games thanks to their offensive showing, and it’s the first time this postseason they have their backs against the wall. How they respond will determine how this season is viewed.
Dave Roberts sees Mookie Betts pressing
Although Betts has dealt with some injuries and health issues over the last two years that have affected his offense, Roberts confirmed Betts is physically fine and will be in the lineup for Game 6. But with the lack of production, Roberts does see Betts pressing at the plate.
“Hopefully, the off day, find a way to get away from it, and then go out there and just kind of focus on one game and be good for one game, go out there and compete,” Roberts said. “But I think you can see there’s a little anxiousness in there. But it’s not the first time he’s struggled, it’s not the first time he’s faced elimination.
“And it’s not just Mookie, it’s everyone that’s got to do their part too.”
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