Dave Roberts needs to stop treating the third spot in the Dodgers’ batting order as untouchable. For NLCS Game 2 against the Brewers, his biggest adjustment should be moving Will Smith down and promoting Teoscar Hernández into that run-producing position.

Los Angeles lost the opener 2-1, finishing 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position. That leaves little room for sentimentality. The pitching kept the Dodgers competitive, but an offense built around talent again failed to deliver enough timely production.

FINAL: Brewers 2, Dodgers 1 — NLCS Game 1

The Brewers held the Dodgers to one run behind Jacob Misiorowski and a combined four-pitcher effort out of the bullpen before Trevor Megill took care of the save. The Dodgers stranded nine runners and went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring… pic.twitter.com/PpXYoBdWc1

— Yirsandy Rodríguez (@Yirsandy) October 12, 2026

Smith’s placement deserves particular scrutiny. His postseason struggles have been even greater than Shohei Ohtani’s, although Roberts intends to keep his catcher high in the order. In a championship series, however, every stalled rally carries greater consequences.

The Dodgers’ problem extends beyond one hitter. Mookie Betts, Smith and Ohtani entered the aftermath of Game 1 a combined 8-for-53 without an extra-base hit this postseason. Still, Roberts cannot fix three struggling stars with one lineup card. He can change how those struggles are distributed.

Moving Hernández to third would separate Smith from the top of the order while preserving Ohtani’s cleanup assignment. Freddie Freeman would remain second, giving Hernández a prominent opportunity to convert whatever traffic the first two hitters create.

This is not an argument that Hernández is guaranteed to rescue the offense. It is an argument for changing the sequence rather than repeatedly asking the same arrangement to produce different results. Smith could hit fifth, with Max Muncy remaining sixth, keeping his bat involved without making him the immediate bridge between Freeman and Ohtani.

Article Continues Below

Crucially, this adjustment would not require benching Smith or weakening the defense. Roberts could retain his preferred personnel while redistributing offensive responsibility. That makes it a measured postseason response, not a panic move.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto gives Los Angeles a starter for Game 2, but another strong pitching performance cannot substitute for runs. Roberts has already shown flexibility by lowering Ohtani in the order.

Applying that same standard to Smith would acknowledge the obvious: reputations matter less than constructing a lineup capable of winning the next game. The Dodgers need action, not another unchanged batting order.