The Los Angeles Dodgers have not begun the first two games of their NLDS clash against the San Diego Padres on the best of notes. While going down 3-0 early in the contest did not cost them in Game 1, they could not muster the same comeback magic in Game 2, with the Padres running away with the game with a power surge en route to a 10-2 win during an emotionally-charged night.
“We were s**t,” Muncy told reporters following the Dodgers' Game 2 defeat, via Michael J. Duarte of NBC LA.
The Dodgers' offense ranked second in the regular season in terms of runs scored per game, at 5.19. But playoff baseball is an entirely different animal. The Division Series is a cruel beast; teams can excel and be the best over the course of 162 games, but their fate can be decided by a five-game series, and the Dodgers, of all teams, would know how fast their World Series dreams can dissipate.
With the series headed to Petco Park, the Dodgers will have to dig deep to avoid going down in the series. Padres fans will be heated especially after the deplorable actions from fans in Dodger Stadium during Game 2, which Muncy also denounced.
“You just can't throw stuff on the field like that. We understand the fans are frustrated at us in this game. Just can't be throwing stuff on the field. As for what the Padres were doing, it doesn't matter,” Muncy added.
Indeed, all the Dodgers can do now is focus on what they can control. Not falling into an early deficit is something that they must strive for in Game 3, as it will be difficult for them to regain momentum with the Padres expected to rally a raucous crowd at home.
Dodgers need to have the memory of a goldfish
The past two postseasons have been devastating for Max Muncy and the Dodgers. Since the institution of the current MLB playoff format, the Dodgers have fallen in the NLDS to a much-hotter Wild Card team. In fact, it was the Padres that knocked them out of World Series contention in 2022.
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Perhaps the memory of those defeats are coming back to haunt the Dodgers. Mookie Betts remains in the middle of a hitless streak dating back to last year's playoffs, while the entirety of the lineup was shut down during a horrendous showing in their Game 2 loss to the Padres.
Regardless, Muncy is only looking towards Game 3 and how the Dodgers can bounce back. They might have not played at the level they expect from themselves on a nightly basis during Game 2, but Muncy knows that they can play much better baseball moving forward.
“You just flush it and move on. Like I said, we were s***t tonight, but that's not us as a group, we've been really good all year. We've come back from games before. We have the off day tomorrow to regroup, hopefully a couple guys get bruises healed up, and then be ready to go on Tuesday,” Muncy said.
