Shohei Ohtani returns to the top: Dodgers seek comeback against Brewers
The Los Angeles Dodgers have decided to make a crucial strategic adjustment for the fourth game of the National League Championship Series. With the urgency of avoiding elimination, manager Dave Roberts has returned Shohei Ohtani to the leadoff position in the batting order, seeking for his star to regain the necessary rhythm to keep the team’s aspirations alive against the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Los Angeles team is in a critical situation, being down 3-0 in the series. After having tried Ohtani as the sixth batter in the previous game, Roberts has opted to trust the Japanese player again at the top of the lineup, hoping that this decision will boost the run production that the team has missed during this postseason.
As I assimilated all of that, I felt that putting him at the top was the right thing to do. I feel good about him taking five at-bats and giving us our best chance to win and produce runs today.
Dave Roberts, Dodgers manager
Ohtani’s offensive challenge
Ohtani’s production has been one of the biggest unknowns for the Dodgers in October. His numbers reflect the difficulty he has faced against opposing pitching:
- .222 batting average in the series against Milwaukee.
- .182 overall average so far in the postseason.
- Absence of extra-base hits and a home run drought that extends since August 18th.
Adjustments on the ground and history against
In addition to Ohtani’s move, the Dodgers’ lineup will feature other significant changes: Miguel Rojas will take over as the starter at second base, while Puerto Rican Enrique “Kike” Hernández will be in charge of guarding third base.
The Milwaukee Brewers, for their part, are one step away from reaching the World Series for the first time since 1982. Major League history heavily favors the Wisconsin team, as 41 out of 42 teams that have taken a 3-0 lead in best-of-seven postseason series have managed to advance. However, Dave Roberts, who was a protagonist in Boston’s historic comeback in 2004, remains hopeful of repeating the feat.
Despite the lead, Milwaukee’s young talent, Jackson Chourio, keeps his feet on the ground: “We haven’t accomplished anything yet. The job is not finished for us. We have to go out with the same mentality, which is to win,” emphasized the outfielder.
