It was Thumper, the lovable little rabbit from the 1942 Walt Disney animated classic Bambi, who said it best:

Taking Thumper’s words literally, there is “…nothing at all” to say about Sunday night’s second consecutive ninth-inning walk-off Dodgers loss to the Atlanta Braves in Game-2 of the 2021 National League Championship Series at Truist Field in downtown Atlanta … or about several questionable in-game decisions by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.

Aside from a first-inning two-run home run by 2020 World Series MVP Corey Seager on the second pitch of the game (following a single by Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts on the first) to give the Dodgers – and future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer – an early 2-0 lead, and a two-run double by Dodgers third baseman Chris Taylor in the top of the seventh inning, there really isn’t much nice to say; especially when you consider that the Dodgers went a collective 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base.

“I think in that particular instance it’s an approach thing,” Roberts answered when asked of his team’s inability to put together good at-bats with ten golden opportunities to blow the game wide open. “I think that certain times in scoring positions, we were expanding (the strike zone) too much.”

That’s it. That’s all the manager of a Dodgers team that won 106 games during the regular season had to say about the single biggest reason why his team is now down two games to none in the best-of-seven 2021 NLCS.

Then again, at least Roberts took Thumper’s cherished words to heart.

Play Ball!

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