Dodgers' season on brink as bats flail in Game 5 of World Series - ESPN

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers' bats finished a mostly quiet October with a nearly silent Game 5. If they don't start making some noise in Game 6, hopes for a title defense might be dashed.

The Dodgers flailed on offense for much of a 6-1 loss that put Los Angeles on the brink with a 3-2 World Series deficit to the Toronto Blue Jays. After an historic 18-inning win over the Jays on Monday to grab a series lead, the Dodgers totaled just three runs in losses on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Slumps are never welcome but especially not when a team is so close to a second straight World Series crown.

«We're not really doing much as an offense, and whenever we get a chance, we don't capitalize,» the Dodgers' Enrique Hernandez said. «We're going through one of those funks right now. It is just really bad timing to have those in the World Series.»

If you remove the Dodgers' offensive outburst in a wild-card romp over the Reds, Los Angeles has hit just .224 with a .372 slugging percentage, well down from their regular-season numbers (.253 and .441). They are hitting .201 against the Blue Jays over five games, and just .200 without an extra-base hit with runners in scoring position.

The nadir might have been Game 5, when the Dodgers were dominated by rookie Trey Yesavage for seven innings and for the game managed four hits and one walk while striking out 15 times. They had just one at-bat with a runner in scoring position.

«It's been hard for us the last two days,» Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman said. «But we've been in this situation before.»

It was an overall lackluster performance for the defending champs in a pivotal game. The defense failed to convert a couple of key double-play opportunities early. The Blue Jays