Los Angeles Dodgers: Wild Card Series Preview
By Jamaal Artis
Batting
The Dodgers had one of the strongest lineups in baseball and continued to outslug everyone hitting a league-leading 118 home runs and producing a team OPS of .821 second best in the league.
The Dodgers strength comes from the top of the lineup where Mookie Betts leads off and Corey Seager bats second. Both Betts and Seager had an OPS in the top 20 of the National League (NL) and placed in the top 10 in home runs.
A welcome sign was the bat of Cody Bellinger heating up as the season ended, Bellinger struggled throughout the season just a year after winning the NL MVP hitting .239, but in his last 10 games Bellinger hit .375 with seven RBI’s and seven extra base hits. In the short series the Dodgers will need all three hitters at their best.
The Brewers are a team that struggles at the plate, finishing in the bottom or near it in batting average, runs, hits, and ops. The team struck out the most out of any lineup (582 K’s) and was middling when it came to home runs (75). Their former MVP Christian Yelich struggled mightily hitting .205 driving in only 22. If the Brewers continue to struggle with their bats then they will have no chance.
Advantage: Dodgers