Much of the attention went to Shohei Ohtani’s struggles at the plate, but where were Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernández and Mookie Betts as the Dodgers were swept in four straight games by what appears to be a juggernaut Milwaukee Brewers team?

Milwaukee knows how to pitch; that’s evident. They aren’t just major league pitchers; they’re craftsmen.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy knows how to manage.

Dave Roberts and the Dodgers didn’t seem to want it.

Even Fox’s NLCS coverage seemed to lack excitement. Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz were just over it. With the Brew Crew up 3-0, no miracles were expected, and none occurred.

• Ohtani: 3-for-13 in the NLCS
• Teoscar Hernández: 3-for-14 in the NLCS
• Freddie Freeman: 1-for-14 in the NLCS
• Will Smith: 2-for-15 in the NLCS
• Mookie Betts: 3-for-15 in the NLCS
• Kyle Tucker did OK, going 4-for-12 in the NLCS.

The Dodgers hit just .185 as a team in the NLCS, with 23 hits in 124 at-bats, one home run and only 11 runs in four games. They struck out 33 times against Milwaukee pitching and drew only 14 walks, going 4-for-27 with runners in scoring position.

On what he told the team, Roberts said: “We gave it everything we had, and it wasn’t good enough.” (via Audacy)

Countering the effort angle, Roberts said the loss was “not from lack of care, want, preparation, and that’s sport.” (via Yahoo Sports)

The Dodgers didn’t have it this year. It’s not hard to see that teams that advance through a playoff bracket in any pro sport need a little mojo and confidence working, or what former White Sox broadcaster Ken “Hawk” Harrelson called TWTW: The Will To Win.

Fox analyst John Smoltz and others have lately used the catchy phrase “non-competitive” to describe a weak or wasted pitch, and this was a non-competitive Dodgers team.