Will Smith is in a slump, but benching him isnt a

MILWAUKEE — The Dodgers have a big gap in the center of their batting order, and it’s not Shohei Ohtani.

If something, Ohtani has reemerged as an offensive drive in the cleanup spot, singling, strolling and scoring the Dodgers’ only run Sunday in a 2-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series.

The downside is with the man hitting in entrance of Ohtani.

Will Smith walked in 4 plate appearances, marking just the second time he’s reached base in the postseason. In the 4 division collection video games against the Atlanta Braves, he had a single in 16 at-bats, putting out seven occasions. He’s hitting .053 in the playoffs — only Cleveland’s Ángel Martínez has a decrease average among gamers with at least 9 at-bats.

But there’s not a lot the Dodgers can do about it. They are constructed to win with pitching and Smith, the catcher, is the man they rely on to information those pitchers through video games.

Dalton Rushing, who began just 5 fewer video games behind the plate than Smith this season, is injured and not on the roster. Hunter Feduccia, who did make the crew, caught just 15 full video games this season and isn’t an option to start in the playoffs.

“I’m not going to put Feduccia in place of Will Smith,” Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts said. “That’s just not going to happen.”

So Roberts and the Dodgers are left to muddle on with Smith regardless of how a lot he struggles offensively. That’s because he’s far more precious crouching behind the plate than standing next to it.

“I don’t even know how he’s performing offensively,” said Tarik Skubal, who took the loss Sunday. “Catchers, I think it’s the most important position on the field. They’re the ones calling pitches, dictating game flow, rhythm, all that type of stuff. I’m going to trust those guys always.”

Smith seems to be executing his catching duties very nicely, since opponents have scored just 10 runs and are hitting .160 against the Dodgers this postseason. Only Tampa Bay, which has performed two fewer video games, has carried out better.

As for what Smith thinks, that’s unknown because the Dodgers didn’t make him accessible to the media Sunday. But since he’s not popping out of the lineup, the next-best answer could be transferring him to another spot in the order.

That labored with Ohtani, who had as many strikeouts as hits in the first two video games of the division collection, when he batted second. Since being dropped in the order, he has reached base 4 occasions in three video games, stolen a base and scored twice.

“There’s always lineup construction. I can think it through. He’s not swinging the bat well,” Roberts said of Smith. “It’s hard because of the body of work, he just has that knack to get a hit, to get a big hit.”

That’s precisely what occurred last fall when Smith’s two-out, Eleventh-inning home run in Game 7 of the World Series helped the Dodgers win a second straight title.

Smith was on the injured checklist for 86 days this summer season because of neck disk inflammation, returning for the ultimate month when he slashed .290/.400/.548. He has cooled off significantly in October, just as he did last yr, when he returned from a proper hand contusion three video games into the playoffs and acquired just two hits in his first 14 at-bats.

He recovered to bat .400 in last yr’s NLCS win over Milwaukee, then broke a 4-4 tie with his successful homer against the Toronto Blue Jays. Just as important, though, Smith caught all but 11 innings in the Dodgers’ last 15 postseason video games — including two 11-inning video games and another that lasted 18 innings.

Smith hardly ever has hit nicely in the postseason, batting just .206 in 18 collection, which can clarify Roberts’ lack of panic. Plus, Roberts is aware of his All-Star catcher has helped him win three World Series rings, and if the Dodgers are to get another, it will likely be on the strength of their pitching, not their hitting.

And that facet of Smith’s recreation is as strong as ever.

“To be honest, that’s not where my focus is with Will,” Skubal said of his catcher’s hitting. “My focus is what he’s doing behind the dish and he’s very important. He’s very important to the entire pitching staff.”