nypost
MILWAUKEE — The Los Angeles Dodgers had no plans to take Shohei Ohtani out of their lineup before Monday night. But after one crushing defeat and four miserable at-bats, that firm stance may be softening.
Following a 7-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers that left the Dodgers trailing 2-0 in the National League Championship Series, manager Dave Roberts told The Athletic that the team would talk with Ohtani about his availability for Game 3. The decision comes on the heels of Ohtani's worst playoff showing this year, an 0-for-4 night with two strikeouts.
Across six postseason games, the four-time MVP has managed just three hits in 20 at-bats — all singles — with two walks and seven strikeouts. He is clearly not at full strength, dealing with ongoing right arm and left knee problems that the team has repeatedly said leave him well below 100 percent.
Even so, the Dodgers had been holding out hope that their two-way phenom would break out. Roberts vowed he would eventually come alive. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman predicted that at some point, it's going to click for him.
Now, though, the Dodgers can no longer afford to wait for Ohtani magic. After dropping the first two games of the NLCS in Milwaukee, they head home to Los Angeles needing a win to avoid a 3-0 series deficit — a hole only one team in MLB history has ever escaped, Roberts' iconic 2004 Boston Red Sox in the ALCS.
Can we [come back in this series]? Absolutely, Roberts said. But its just, you want to get that first [win].
Before Monday, Ohtani had reached base safely in each of his first five playoff games. But instead of building on that progress, his hitless Game 2 marked a significant regression.
Prior to the game, the injury-plagued 32-year-old took batting practice on the field for a third straight day — a drastic and telling change for a player who normally never hits outside the indoor cages. During those BP sessions, coaches were encouraged by his swing, noting he was driving the ball to the big part of the field.
I feel good [with] where hes at, Roberts said Sunday. [He is] certainly not 100 percent, but its good enough.
That was no longer the case in Tuesday's demoralizing loss, when the Dodgers offense managed just three hits, made outs in all 15 at-bats against Brewers relievers, and looked like a unit desperate for a spark. Ohtani provided none. Instead, he appeared more lost than ever.
He ended the first inning with a three-pitch strikeout, chasing an elevated fastball from Brewers rookie Logan Henderson. He stranded a runner at second to end the second, flailing at another high fastball for a softly hit grounder to third. Then came the sixth, when Ohtani was so fooled by a slider from left-handed reliever JoJo Romero that his bat flew out of his hands on an unsuccessful check-swing attempt. He made one more out in the ninth, lifting a harmless fly ball to left off top Brewers southpaw Aaron Ashby.
Once again, he did not address reporters postgame, still yet to speak publicly since before the start of the NLDS.
If the Dodgers were to drop Ohtani from the lineup for Game 3 — when the Brewers will start left-hander Robert Gasser — the team would have several potential ways to fill his void at DH. The most obvious one: rookie sensation Josue De Paula.
The 21-year-old has only logged 45 total big-league plate appearances since being called up straight from Double-A back in September, but has reached safely in more than half of them. That includes a pair of impressive walks as a pinch-hitter in recent days; one that helped set up a game-winning rally in Game 4 of the NL Division Series, and another in an ultimately failed ninth-inning comeback bid in Game 1 of the NLCS on Sunday.
Granted, swapping even a diminished version of Ohtani for someone so inexperienced would undoubtedly be a stunning decision on the surface. And if this series werent 2-0 for the Brewers, the calculus would be different. But right now, De Paula might be just as much of an on-base threat, and (given he is fully healthy) is perhaps an even more likely candidate to potentially slug the ball. And, at this increasingly dire stage, the Dodgers might not be able to risk another empty performance from their biggest star.
If not De Paula, the Dodgers could also use the DH spot to potentially fit October hero, and right-handed hitter, Kiké Hernández back in the lineup, after he was dropped back to the bench for Game 2 in favor of Tommy Edman. Perhaps it could also be a way to get Miguel Rojas in as another extra righty bat, especially while he nurses a back injury he suffered in the NLDS.
None of these scenarios, of course, are what the Dodgers wanted to be contemplating so soon into their World Series three-peat bid. But suddenly, with the stakes rising higher and Ohtanis performance trending in the opposite direction, all options might need to be on the table. The best player in baseball, at least in his current physical condition, might need to be benched.
Originally reported by nypost.