HOFer blasts Dodgers stars after another early postseason exit

There's plenty of blame to go around after another premature playoff exit for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Hall of Famer David Ortiz bypassed the ownership, the front office and manager Dave Roberts, placing it squarely on the shoulders of the team's many stars. 

Appearing on Thursday's episode of the "Jim Rome Show," Ortiz first took aim at the Dodgers bats, who were outscored 19-6 in the Arizona Diamondbacks' three-game sweep of the National League Division Series.  

"You're talking about the best hitters in baseball, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and the rest of the squad not being able to execute when it's needed," Ortiz said. 

Ortiz isn't wrong. After finishing behind only the Atlanta Braves (947) in runs scored (906) during the regular season, the Dodgers bats went ice cold in the NLDS. At the top of the lineup, Betts and Freeman were poor table setters, finishing a combined 1-of-21 with three walks at the plate. However, pinch hitters drove in two of the Dodgers' six runs during the series, so the struggles flowed throughout the lineup. 

Ortiz also shared interesting thoughts on Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw, who struggled mightily in the NLDS opener. Along with stating that he didn't see Kershaw's trademark velocity against the Diamondbacks, Ortiz questioned whether or not he was the right pitcher to send to the mound for Game 1. 

In the Dodgers' 11-2 loss to open the series, Kershaw came out flat, failing to get out of the first inning after allowing six hits and six earned runs off only 35 pitches. Singling out Kershaw is fair considering his lackluster outing set the stage for the Diamondbacks' upset. However, his counterparts weren't much better in the following two games, both 4-2 losses. Bobby Miller allowed three earned runs off four hits over 1.2 innings in Game 2, while Lance Lynn gave up four earned runs off six hits over 2.2 innings, pitching longer than he probably should have in Game 3.  

Ortiz conceded that anything can happen in a short five-game series but made it clear changes are needed this offseason. Nevertheless, he rejected the idea that manager and former Boston Red Sox teammate Dave Roberts should worry about his job security. 

Roberts might be safe for now, and some of the team's standouts will return. However, after winning the World Series in the shortened 2020 season, the Dodgers have put together three straight 100-win seasons yet have nothing to show for it. At some point, if expectations continue to go unrealized, someone will have to pay the consequences.