Dodgers Will Play Ohtani in NLCS G3 If He Feels Healthy — SkimNews
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- Shohei Ohtani went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in Game 2, a 7-4 loss to the Brewers that dropped the Dodgers into a 2-0 NLCS hole, and struck out swinging at a sweeper well out of the zone after attempting to bunt in the sixth inning
- The Dodgers will only sit Ohtani for Game 3 if he believes his left knee and right bicep injuries compromise him; manager Dave Roberts said he would have 'a conversation' with Ohtani during Tuesday's workout in Los Angeles
- Ohtani has not homered since Aug. 18 and is slashing .156/.283/.200 over the past eight weeks — a stretch during which he went on the injured list — with just three hits in 20 postseason at-bats
- The Dodgers are 2-for-26 with runners in scoring position this postseason, with both hits coming off the bat of Andy Pages, and 11 of their 19 runs this month have come via home run
- Milwaukee's bullpen recorded 15 consecutive outs after Mookie Betts' fifth-inning groundout, with six Brewers relievers allowing only five of 33 batters to reach base across Games 1 and 2 combined
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto was removed after just eight outs and 75 pitches in Game 2, including a 12-pitch sequence against Jake Bauers that loaded the bases and set up Christian Yelich's two-run single
Why it matters: The Dodgers face near-historic elimination odds — 36 of the past 38 teams to fall behind 2-0 in a best-of-seven series were knocked out. Their 2-for-26 mark with runners in scoring position reveals a structural offensive problem beyond Ohtani's individual slump that even a healthy Ohtani cannot single-handedly fix against a Milwaukee bullpen that retired 15 straight Dodgers on Monday.
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