This is no time for the Dodgers to panic

The Dodgers lost Game 2 of the World Series against the Tampa Rays. The series is tied 1-1. The Dodgers might not have as easy a path to winning the World Series as some of their fans would like, but in the immortal words of Douglas Adams, “Don’t panic.”

Adams wrote “The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.” On the cover of that very resourceful and informative book are the words Don’t Panic. Dodger fans should take heed to those words. Yes, the Dodgers dropped Game 2 and were exposed as a team that can go cold at the plate quicker than a penguin on New Year’s Eve.

But there are some positive takeaways from Game 2 for the Dodgers.

For one, the Rays needed a two home run game from Brandon Lowe. The chances of him, or any other Rays hitter, having another game like that are slim. Sure, he hit 14 home runs in 56 games in this COVID-19 shortened season and was on pace to hit 40.5 homers in a regular 162-game season. But his Game 2 performance was an aberration. It won’t happen again. For the sake of the Dodgers, it won’t happen again.

Secondly, Rays starter Blake Snell took a no-hitter into the fifth inning. He was in command for those first five innings. The Dodgers looked like a bunch of Little Leaguers against him. Snell has moments of brilliance, won a Cy Young award, and can be a dominant force in any baseball game. But he lost his command in the fifth inning. After shutting the Dodgers down, Chris Taylor hit a two-run home run that essentially knocked Snell out the game. The best pitcher on the Rays showed his vulnerable side. If he gets another chance to start a World Series game, the Dodgers will expose him again.

Despite being no-hit for almost five innings and trailing 5-0 at one point, the Dodgers still made it close, eventually losing 6-4. Give the Rays credit for holding on and tying the World Series. But this is no time for the Dodgers and their fans to panic.

Let’s go Dodgers.