After moving Shohei Ohtani down in their batting order during his injury-hampered slump this postseason, the Dodgers reversed course with their season on the line in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series.
For the first time this October, Ohtani returned to his customary leadoff spot in the lineup.
“Just seeing the work the last couple days, I like where his head is at,” manager Dave Roberts explained, with Ohtani coming off one of his best recent performances in Wednesday’s Game 3 by reaching base three times and hitting a 113 mph single in his last trip to the plate.
“I liked the at-bats yesterday,” Roberts added. “Trying to shake it up a little bit.”
The move comes with the Dodgers facing a three-games-to-none deficit against the Milwaukee Brewers –– and in spite of Ohtani’s .182 batting average (4-for-22) in these playoffs, in which he has also failed to record an extra-base hit or an RBI.
Previously, those struggles saw him drop to the two-hole, then the Nos. 4, 5 and 6 spots in the previous four games.
But now, he will spearhead their offense once again, with the Dodgers electing to ride-or-die with the four-time MVP at the top of their lineup.
“I feel good about him taking five at-bats,” Roberts said, “and giving us our best chance to win and produce runs today.”
In other lineup changes Thursday, the Dodgers moved Will Smith –– who snapped out of his own playoff slump with a two-run double in Game 3 –– back up to the cleanup spot after he had been dropped to seven-hole previously.
Miguel Rojas also got the start at second base and Kiké Hernández at third base, with Max Muncy and Tommy Edman being dropped to the bench against Brewers left-handed starter Shane Drohan.
“What do we have to lose?” Roberts said of the team’s mindset entering the first of (what they hope is) four-straight elimination games. “I just don’t want us to be uptight. We have been here before as far as playing elimination games. There might not be a tomorrow, so we have to play like that, and I expect we will. With that, you’ve got to play free and easy. That’s imperative.”
Here is the Dodgers’ full lineup for Game 4:
1. Shohei Ohtani, DH
2. Mookie Betts, SS
3. Freddie Freeman, 1B
4. Will Smith, C
5. Kyle Tucker, RF
6. Teoscar Hernández, LF
7. Miguel Rojas, 2B
8. Andy Pages, CF
9. Kiké Hernández, 3B
SP: Tyler Glasnow
