Dodgers News: Max Muncy Isn't Certain That Postseason Layoffs Are to Blame for Team's Recent Struggles
The Dodgers earned a first-round bye for the second straight season under MLB's new postseason format they introduced for the 2022 season.
Teams who receive the off time should theoretically play better with more rest, but many top-seeded clubs are experiencing what Wild Card teams can do on hot streaks.
LA third baseman Max Muncy weighed in on the debate with his own team's experiences from last season and now this year's poor start to the postseason, being down 0-2.
"I can't answer that without having done the other one. So for us, this is the second year we've had this format. We've been off both times. I don't know what it's like on the other side, so I can't really answer that question fairly. I could say that, yeah, we'd rather be playing right away or not. But the reality is if you have the days off, you're one of the top seeds and you have home-field advantage. And really when you think about it that's the most important thing. But I can't give you a fair answer because we haven't done the other side."
Muncy and the rest of the Dodgers offense has been silent in the first two games of the NLDS, mustering just four runs against the Diamondbacks' pitching.
Meanwhile Clayton Kershaw failed to finish the first inning after he gave up six runs to the Snakes while Bobby Miller lasted just 1.2 innings, and gave up three runs in his own first inning.
Such trends being bucked are exactly why MLB's postseason plays like no other due to the small sample size of great play meaning much more than the 162-game regular season grind.
The Baltimore Orioles also face an 0-2 deficit despite a first-round bye and 100-win regular season thanks to their losses against the Texas Rangers.
If the Dodgers want any chance of coming back in this series, it'll be up to the offense to wake up.
