Dodgers’ NLCS path with Brewers hinges on one problem: hitting with runners in scoring position

The Dodgers are heading into their NLCS opener with the Brewers, but their title hopes may be tied to a less glamorous statistic than home runs or overall run output. As Yahoo Sports’ Andy Swanson framed it, Los Angeles has struggled repeatedly to produce hits when runners are already in scoring position, and that type of failure can quietly tilt a short postseason series.

In the regular season, scoring position at-bats often become the difference between building comfortable leads and playing catch-up. The concern outlined in the report is that the Dodgers have not consistently solved those situations, meaning rallies can stall even when the team finds ways to get on base. If the pattern persists, late innings become harsher, and each out with runners in scoring position carries more weight than it does in a 162-game season.

Swanson’s critique centered on how the Dodgers have looked when the game tightens, rather than only how they perform in easier scoring chances. The report also uses a “nurse” metaphor, drawing attention to whether the Dodgers can “answer” the problem before it becomes a recurring ailment. In plain terms, postseason baseball magnifies small inefficiencies, and hitting in high-leverage situations is one of the first places that shows up.

For Milwaukee, the practical takeaway is straightforward: if an opponent is living and dying by two-out or late-inning execution with men on second and third, the matchup becomes more about forcing contact at the wrong time than preventing baserunners altogether. The Brewers’ path to leverage comes from the idea that the Dodgers may be more vulnerable when the scoreboard is most demanding.

Los Angeles, meanwhile, does not need to “fix everything” to win a series. But postseason baseball does not reward competence everywhere at once. The Dodgers can still win if they manufacture runs through a mix of timing, plate discipline, and capitalizing on mistakes, yet the report’s central warning is that scoring position hits have not been reliable enough to bank on a three-peat-level margin for error.

How this plays out in the NLCS will likely come down to a small set of moments. Watch whether the Dodgers can turn baserunners into clean extra-base hits or at least consistent run-scoring production with runners in scoring position. Just as important is whether they can avoid the “almost” version of rallies, where one batter does the right thing to advance the runner but the next fails to bring him home.