Enrique Hernandez on ‘Pretty Bad’ Game 3: Dodgers, Fans Had ‘No Energy’

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The Milwaukee Brewers blanked the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 4-0 victory in Monday’s Game 3 of the National League Championship Series, and utilityman Enrique Hernandez put some of the blame on the fans in Dodger Stadium.

“We had no energy,” he said, per Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times. “The stadium had no energy. The fans had no energy. Overall, it was a pretty bad game for everybody who calls themselves Dodgers.”

Hernandez took particular issue with the crowd’s reaction to catcher Yasmani Grandal.

Author Molly Knight noted Dodgers fans were chanting “We want Austin” in reference to backup catcher Austin Barnes as Grandal struggled throughout Game 3. He failed to block a pitch in the dirt in the sixth inning, which allowed Travis Shaw to score, and had a passed ball in the eighth.

What’s more, he is now 3-for-22 in the playoffs at the plate and struck out with runners on second and third and one out in the second inning and with the bases loaded and one out in the ninth inning. His final strikeout stood out because Jeremy Jeffress was struggling to close the door after Josh Hader mowed through the hitters he faced the previous inning.

Greg Beacham of the Associated Press shared Hernandez’s full comments regarding Grandal where he called the crowd out:

“It sucks. He’s a teammate. He’s a competitor, and you know he’s doing everything he can. He’s not trying to have a hard time behind home plate or anything like that. But it sucks that there’s nothing going on in the stands. Since the first inning when Braun hit that double, the stadium kind of went quiet for the rest of the evening, and it sucks that they got loud just to show (up) Yasmani. He’s trying his best. Catchers have a lot going on. The game revolves around them. They’ve got to call every pitch. They’re involved in every situation in the game. It’s the playoffs. It’s the big leagues. If they think they can do it, go ahead. Put on your gear and catch 99 (mph) with breaking balls that have a lot of movement. He’s been one of the best catchers in the game for a while now. He’s having a little bit of a rough patch, which we all as humans, as baseball players, go through. It’s just bad timing.”

Grandal was far from the only culprit, as the Dodgers were an ugly 0-of-10 with runners in scoring position in the loss. Starting pitcher Walker Buehler also allowed four earned runs and five hits, continuing his playoff struggles after giving up five earned runs against the Atlanta Braves in his start in the National League Division Series.

Los Angeles trails 2-1 in the series and has two more home games remaining. The series is over if it loses both, and even splitting them would put the defending National League champions in a position where they had to win both Games 6 and 7 in Milwaukee.

Perhaps that sense of urgency and Hernandez’s comments will result in a more energetic crowd in Dodger Stadium for Game 4.