Despite not displaying the flashiest of lineups, the top-seeded Milwaukee Brewers managed to disarm pitchers during the regular season by putting the ball in play and stringing together hits. Their offensive versatility seemingly made them dangerous entering the National League Championship Series, but the bats have been ice cold in the face of the Los Angeles Dodgers' starting pitching. This club needs its most experienced hitter to erupt.
The Brewers collectively accumulated only five hits through the first two games of this series, proving to be powerless against history-making hurlers Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but Christian Yelich is the player enduring the most criticism amid this 2-0 NLCS deficit. The 2018 MVP and three-time All-Star is struggling profusely at the plate, dating back to the tail end of Milwaukee's NL Division Series showdown with the Chicago Cubs.
After going 0-for-4 with one strikeout in a 5-1 Game 2 loss versus the Dodgers, Yelich has come up empty in his last 17 at-bats. Brewers manager Pat Murphy is not worried about his designated hitter, however, and is attributing the slump to LA's thorough preparation and abundant talent.
“He's getting pitched really, really tough,” he told reporters at the postgame press conference, per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Curt Hogg. “They're very aware of his abilities…That's a really small sample size. I know it's critical because it's now, but I'm not worried that Yeli won't respond.”
Christian Yelich, Brewers need to wake up pronto
Yelich looked lost in the batter's box on Tuesday, to put it plainly. The same can obviously be said for the rest of the team, and that can sometimes happen against a pitcher of Yamamoto's caliber. However, the burden rests on the accomplished veteran to spark some momentum.
While he is no longer in his prime, the 33-year-old still led Milwaukee with 29 home runs, 103 RBIs and a respectable 121 OPS+ during the regular season. When healthy, Christian Yelich remains arguably the club's most reliable offensive contributor. He must adjust to the incredible pitching he is facing and find a way to drive the ball.
A strong group effort is obviously required in this sport, but an NLCS comeback will be hard to envision unless No. 22 snaps out of his extended funk. If he is unsuccessful, fans will take a closer look at his career .233/.367/.344/.711 slash line in the playoffs.
Yelich can make fans forget about those past scuffles by coming alive in Los Angeles. He and the Brewers might as well be fighting for their postseason lives on Thursday.
