The Los Angeles Dodgers can be penciled in for at least 95-100 wins and the NL West crown every single season, but that tends to have no bearing on their performance come postseason time. And in 2023, the Dodgers came up against the demons that have haunted them in the past once more. Despite winning 100 games for the fifth time in the past seven years and sitting atop the NL West totem pole for the 10th time in 11 years, the Dodgers couldn't get past the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLDS, marking their second-straight first-round playoff exit.

In fact, the Dodgers didn't just fail to get past the Diamondbacks, they also failed to win a single game, suffering a soul-crushing sweep despite having the, top-to-bottom, more talented roster, at least on paper. Boasting the services of two bonafide MVP candidates in Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, the last thing the Dodgers should have worried about was producing runs. And yet there they were, mustering just six runs in three games as they were outscored by the Diamondbacks by a total of 13 runs.

Betts has already owed to the part he played in the Dodgers' run-creation problems in the NLDS. So it's no surprise to see Freeman follow suit after he went 1-10, joining Betts who went 0-11 in what was an outcome straight out of their worst nightmares.

“Not good by us,” Freeman said, per Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.

Not good is an understatement from the Dodgers star first baseman. Not only is their NLDS showing against the Diamondbacks such a steep fall from how both Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman performed in the regular season, they also have a responsibility, as the first two hitters in the batting order, to establish a rhythm for their entire team. And yet there they were, unable to hit a lick, costing them dearly especially when there were runners in scoring position.

This time next year, expect the Dodgers to be in position once again to win the World Series. Now hardened by this experience, hopefully Freeman and Betts show up during a time in which their team needs them the most.