The Los Angeles Dodgers will play the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 of the National League Division Series on Tuesday after dropping a game at home over the weekend.
The Braves threw two bullpen games in Los Angeles and now have their top two starters, Chris Sale and Tyler Mahle, lined up for their two home games. The Dodgers are in a tough spot all of a sudden, needing to steal a game on the road, and Dave Roberts is not playing around. Shohei Ohtani has struggled as he battles injuries, and he is hitting fifth on Tuesday.
Ohtani has never started a game hitting lower than second in the Dodgers lineup. However, ever since Aug. 8, when he started a throwing progression to try to get back on the mound, he is slashing .205/.290/.376. The Dodgers placed him on the injured list to give him some time off.
He is 2-for-8 this postseason, and it's clear that he's not 100% healthy. Usually, he's one of the best hitters in the game, but his injuries have taken a toll on him. Roberts had him in the two-hole in Games 1 and 2, but in Game 3, he has Mookie Betts leading off, Freddie Freeman in the No. 2 spot, Teoscar Hernández in the No. 3 spot and Will Smith batting cleanup.
Smith is hitless this postseason, and Hernández is 2-for-8, just like Ohtani, but has a home run. The Dodgers don't usually look at left- and right-hand matchups when it comes to Ohtani, but this is not the same version of Ohtani they are used to.
The Dodgers will be facing one of the best lefties in the game in Sale, and Smith and Henández are both right-handed hitters. Getting them above Ohtani in the lineup amid his struggles is probably the right move. Freeman and Kyle Tucker are the only left-handed hitters in the lineup on Tuesday.