Manager Dave Roberts of the Los Angeles Dodgers gave the Milwaukee Brewers their props and hit the road for Game 1 of the NLCS at American Family Field, losing 2-1. Roberts' Dodgers fielded a familiar batting lineup that looked strong on paper but wasn't enough to get the job done against fire-balling Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski.

The game was hotly contested in myriad ways as Brewers manager Pat Roberts sent a message to Dodgers ace Tarik Skubal and Misiorowski sent a message of his own in the first inning.

When the smoke cleared, the Dodgers lost Game 1 and fans began wondering what had happened. Blame has to be divided up among some of the Dodgers' most important members, including Skubal and Roberts, for not performing well enough to get the job done.

Dodger to blame #1: Dave Roberts

Roberts is a brilliant tactician and a smart players' coach who did his best to put together a lineup that would work against the Brewers' ace, but it didn't work at all as the offense was held to one run. Max Muncy batted sixth, a departure from recent games, and wasn't much of a factor with one hit in four at-bats and zero RBIs.

Shohei Ohtani had a hit and a walk but also didn't make his presence felt in the way Dodgers fans have grown accustomed to seeing from him.

Dodgers made the right calls in terms of the team's bullpen, but failed to get the most out of his players as they succumbed to a fired-up Brewers team that seemed to have more juice throughout the night.

Roberts is responsible for motivating his players and he appeared to fall short on a tough night in Milwaukee. He deserves the blame for this loss as is customary for a manager in a close ballgame, and will certainly learn from it heading into Game 2 of the NLCS.

Dodger to blame #2: Tarik Skubal

Skubal is a bona fide ace and frontline starter but fans still haven't seen him dominate on quite the same level in the postseason as he has during the regular season, dating back to his time with the Detroit Tigers.

Skubal's first playoff outing in a blue and white Dodgers uniform was a solid one but it wasn't a dominant one per se as he gave up five hits, two earned runs and two bases on balls against a Brewers team that figured out how to scrape across two key runs vs. the Dodgers' ace.

Skubal struck out seven hitters, suggesting he has the stuff to take control of the series at a later date, but he didn't do enough to best Misiorowski on the evening. Skubal still has the kind of stuff and the makeup of a bulldog starter to really dominate and put a team on his back, but fans are still waiting for him to do it. Until he does consistently, he will be seen as a very good but not great playoff starter by ace standards.

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Dodger to blame #3: Robert van Scoyoc

The Dodgers' hitting coach deserves some blame for the way his batting order performed throughout Game 1 in Milwaukee. The Dodgers have a lineup for the ages that resembles the Murderers' Row 1927 New York Yankees and got mediocre production against an admittedly great starting pitcher.

The Dodgers must make adjustments going forward and van Scoyoc is the man to help them do it. The right adjustments will help Ohtani, Muncy and company find their sweet spots and blast some much needed power shots against the Brewers' pitching going forward.

Dodgers fans have been spoiled with back-to-back World Series titles, but they have the team to win their third title in a row. The hitting must improve going forward, and van Scoyoc knows that as well as anyone.