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Ohtani will be in the Dodgers’ Game 3 lineup

Dave Roberts says Shohei Ohtani will play Wednesday as Los Angeles tries to recover from a 2–0 NLCS deficit.

By TSP Staff
Dodger Stadium and downtown Los Angeles in October 2016. File photograph.
Dodger Stadium and downtown Los Angeles in October 2016. File photograph. · Credit: Cody Williams / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Shohei Ohtani will be in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ lineup for Wednesday’s National League Championship Series Game 3 against Milwaukee, manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday. The decision followed a conversation about whether Ohtani’s lingering right biceps and left knee problems warranted a game off.

Roberts said Ohtani was adamant that he felt well enough to help Los Angeles win and believed he was making progress with his swing mechanics. The Dodgers trail the Brewers 2–0 after losing the first two games in Milwaukee.

Ohtani is 3-for-20 this postseason with no extra-base hits, seven strikeouts and three walks, according to MLB. He has not homered since August 18, and his 110 plate appearances without a home run, including postseason play, represent the longest such stretch of his career.

Ohtani acknowledged his poor production but said his symptoms should not explain his inability to hit. The series shifts to Dodger Stadium for Game 3, with Los Angeles seeking its first victory in the best-of-seven matchup.

Sources and notes

  1. https://www.mlb.com/news/shohei-ohtani-nlcs-game-3-lineup-dodgers
  2. Photograph: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dodger_Stadium_and_DTLA.jpg
  3. Image licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0