Superstar players earn big money thanks to their ability to deliver for their respective teams for when their teams need them the most. But for the Los Angeles Dodgers, that's proving to be more theoretical than practical as they witness both Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman go invisible from the plate at the worst possible time. And now, they find themselves down 2-0 to the Arizona Diamondbacks, a team that won 16 fewer games than the NL West champion Dodgers, in the 2023 NLDS.

Betts, in particular, has gone 0-7 on the plate against the Diamondbacks thus far, giving the Dodgers a glaring hole at the top of their lineup. The Dodgers second baseman/right fielder has also reached base for a grand total of one time, an overall disappointment for someone who slashed .307/.408/.579, hit 39 home runs, and reached base via walk 96 times in 2023.

Thus, it's no surprise at all to see the Dodgers star be hard on himself as he looks to bounce back against the Diamondbacks in Game 3 at Chase Field to try and rescue their season.

“For me and Freddie, [carrying the offense is] kind of our role and we’re not doing it. I take ownership in that. We just have to figure out a way, man. There are no excuses,” Betts said, per Juan Toribio of MLB.com.

There are no excuses indeed, especially when the Dodgers hold Mookie Betts to such a high standard when it comes to setting the table for them on offense. However, Betts didn't exactly excel against the Diamondbacks during the 2023 regular season either. He hit just .250 (for an OPS of .848) to go along with two home runs and five runs batted in 13 games against Arizona this past season, which is far from his best effort.

Even then, Betts going hitless in the first two games of the series isn't something even the most optimistic Diamondbacks fan expected. Expect there to be a bit of positive regression for the 31-year old Dodgers star; the only hope now is that it's not yet too late for them as they stare down the hole of elimination on the road on Wednesday night.