LOS ANGELES (AP) — Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber are mired in the same kind of postseason slump that wrecked the Los Angeles Dodgers two years ago.
Back then, Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts were a combined 1 for 21 as the Dodgers were swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2023 NL Division Series. Their lone hit was an infield single by Freeman.
Harper and Schwarber are 1 for 15 with eight strikeouts, putting the Philadelphia Phillies on the brink of elimination. They trail 2-0 in the best-of-five NLDS with Game 3 on Wednesday at Dodger Stadium.
“I think the postseason you’ve got to flush as quick as possible because any at-bat can change the course of a game or change the course of a series,” Harper said Tuesday.
Betts remembers the frustration he felt knowing how much the Dodgers were counting on him and Freeman, but nothing they tried made a difference.