Smith, Teoscar build momentum for World Series in big NLCS clincher

LOS ANGELES -- Even with all the starting pitching question marks the Dodgers had coming into the postseason, the team always believed they had a good chance at getting to the World Series and perhaps winning it.

A big reason for that belief was due to the confidence they had in their lineup. Throughout the season, the Dodgers’ offense -- led by superstars Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman -- masked any other deficiencies the roster might’ve had.

In the National League Championship Series against the Mets, the Dodgers flexed their muscles. They put up 46 runs in the six games and drew a record 41 walks. Tommy Edman, the NLCS MVP, was an obvious standout, as were Max Muncy and the two superstars at the top in Betts and Ohtani.

But in Game 6, the Dodgers finally got what they were waiting for all series long. Teoscar Hernández got a pair of big hits in the series-clinching win after starting the NLCS by going 0-for-18. Will Smith also smashed a two-run homer to give Los Angeles much-needed separation.

Seeing Smith and Hernández have a big game on Sunday gives the Dodgers even more confidence in a lineup that has no shortage of firepower.

“I was just trying to get my body ready and get in a good position,” Hernández said after Game 6. “I got some good pitches to hit in the strike zone, and I was ready to hit.”

With the superstars on the Dodgers and the Yankees likely stealing most of the headlines over the next week, Los Angeles is also going to need production from Hernández and Smith in order to be at its best. Both players were All-Stars this season, and they are more than capable of catching fire.

Hernández was perhaps the best under-the-radar signing in baseball this offseason. He has hit in the middle of the lineup all season long and set a career high with 33 homers and drove in 99 runs. In clutch situations, Hernández also came up big when the team needed him most, including a big solo homer in Game 5 of the NLDS against the Padres.

“It feels like every time he’s up with two outs with guys in scoring position, that he’s going to get a hit,” said second baseman Gavin Lux earlier this postseason. “He always comes through and he’s been huge. He’s an RBI machine.”

As for Smith, the All-Star catcher's struggles have been ongoing for months, one of the most head-scratching developments of the season for the Dodgers. Smith opened the season as the best hitting catcher in baseball, hitting 15 homers by the All-Star break with an .838 OPS. In the second half, however, Smith hit just five homers and saw his OPS drop to .626 in the last 48 games of the regular season.

But amidst those struggles, Smith never panicked. He understood the Dodgers moving him down to the No. 8 spot in the lineup because he wasn’t producing. Instead of pouting, Smith took extra batting practice over the last few days, working more on going to the opposite field or up the middle. That approach worked right away as he smacked a two-run homer off Phil Maton in the Dodgers’ four-run third inning in Game 6, proving to be the difference.

"I wanted to stay here to win a World Series, win multiple World Series,” said Smith, who signed a 10-year extension earlier this season. “This is where I felt the best chance was. Fortunately, the Dodgers gave me an opportunity. This year we have a chance to go win it. We’ve still got work to do.”

The Dodgers' chances were good even before Smith and Hernández’s big games on Sunday. But if the Dodgers get their two unheralded All-Stars back on track, L.A’s chances of getting four more wins grows exponentially.

“This is a team that has stayed together,” Hernández said. “And everybody contributed.”