Despite his ongoing struggles, Shohei Ohtani will be in the Game 3 starting lineup for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers, manager Dave Roberts announced Tuesday.
“Adamanta feels like she’s there enough. She’s close to finding something with the swing. I feel great about her,” Roberts said Tuesday. “He wants to be there and help us win the ballgame and win the championship. Great conversation, and he’s excited about him being there.”
Ohtani, who is nursing knee and bicep injuries, is 3 for 20 this season and 11 for 70 (.157) with no home runs in his last 24 games through August 18. He spent 12 days on the injured list in September and has just one hit in eight NLCS plate appearances as the Dodgers trail 2-0 in a best-of-seven series.
“I take responsibility for the results,” Ohtani said through an interpreter Tuesday. “That’s all I can really say is why the results weren’t where I wanted to be. I think there are different approaches to this, whether it’s to focus on reducing the symptoms and eliminating the pain and/or just making sure I’m moving well in the swing.”
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After the Game 2 loss on MondayRoberts said the Dodgers are having “a conversation” about Ohtani’s place in the lineup. The plate itself is not clear. His pitches are off-balance and his contact quality is way down. Simply put, Ohtani looks like an injured player – one who can’t help the team score runs or win games at the moment.
“They’ve done a lot of testing,” Ohtani said. “Especially when I was in IL, spending time only being able to reduce the standards. As now when I’m leaner, it’s a daily process of trying different things, we feel different on a daily basis.”
The Dodgers have a very good DH prospect in Joshua De Paula. De Paula reached base 21 times 11 times in regular season games and pinch-hit three times in key spots this season, and drew two walks. Los Angeles has nine singles and one double in two NLCS losses to the Brewers. Their sin is lacking.
“We remember vividly this time last year that he probably had the best game in baseball ever, the day he pitched against us and he seemed to hit home runs every time,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said Wednesday when asked about Ohtani’s struggles at the plate. “You can’t forget that opportunity.”
Now 32, Ohtani is hitting .275/.377/.512 with 30 home runs in the regular season, which would be the career of the year for most players, but Ohtani’s down year. He threw 85 ⅔ innings with a 1.79 ERA before the injuries. Ohtani has not pitched since July 3 and is not returning to the mound this season.
Teams with a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series have advanced to the series 83% of the time. Game 3 is Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium.