Corey Seager: Dodgers 'up to the challenge' despite 0-2 NLCS hole

The Los Angeles Dodgers tried to mount a comeback against the Atlanta Braves with a four-run ninth inning, but their efforts came up short in an 8-7 Game 2 loss. Now down 0-2 in the National League Championship Series, the Dodgers face a critical Game 3 on Wednesday. 

Despite what many may think, the Dodgers aren't giving up, and Corey Seager alluded to that in his postgame media availability on Tuesday. 

"This is a long series," Seager said, according to ESPN's Alden Gonzalez. "We're looking up to the challenge. "This team's got a lot of fight; we've done it all year. We were one swing, one anything, away from tying that ballgame and going into extras."

The Dodgers hadn't dropped back-to-back games since the second week of September, and now the odds aren't in their favor. Only 15% of teams have been able to overcome an 0-2 deficit to move on to the next round of the postseason. 

Manager Dave Roberts will be looking for 24-year-old Julio Urias to pitch his best during Wednesday's Game 3, but he'll also be hoping that ace Clayton Kershaw is ready to go for Game 4 on Thursday. 

The Dodgers, who are widely considered the best team in baseball this season, could be headed to another postseason of disappointment if they don't get back on track. The team hasn't made it back to the World Series since 2018, which they lost to the Boston Red Sox after losing in 2017 to the Houston Astros.  

In 2019, L.A. fell in the National League Division Series to the Washington Nationals, who later won the World Series. If they don't at least reach the World Series this season, fans will begin to question manager Dave Roberts, who hasn't been able to achieve the ultimate goal. 

With the odds stacked against them, Roberts revealed the Dodgers aren't looking past Game 3 just yet. They're focused on cutting the deficit to 1-2 instead of going down 0-3. 

"One game at a time," Roberts said. "I know it sounds cliché, but that's the only way to do it and to approach it."

Only 13 of 85 teams who have faced an 0-2 hole have come back to win a best-of-seven series, and the Dodgers have three of those series wins, so there's a glimmer of hope that on top of the Lakers' NBA title win, the Dodgers will be able to bring the city another title this year.