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Dodgers move Shohei Ohtani in batting order again amid ongoing NLDS slump

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Harris, J. (2026, October 7). Dodgers move Shohei Ohtani in batting order again amid ongoing NLDS slump. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/10/07/sports/dodgers-put-shohei-ohtani-in-cleanup-spot-in-nlds-game-4-lineup/

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New York Post · collected 2026-10-07 · by Jack Harris

Quick Summary

For Game 4 of the National League Division Series against the Braves, the Dodgers moved Shohei Ohtani up from fifth to cleanup hitter amid his ongoing slump, where he has gone 2-for-10 with three strikeouts and one walk in the series so far. Manager Dave Roberts expressed optimism that moving Ohtani could help him break out of his funk, noting that even without Ohtani’s strong performance, the team managed a 2-1 series lead.
Written by AI on 2026-10-07, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

The Los Angeles Dodgers adjusted their lineup for Game 4 of the National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday. They moved two-way star Shohei Ohtani up in the batting order from fifth place to cleanup, his highest position since joining the team and his first time hitting fourth overall with the Dodgers. This change came after Ohtani's poor performance earlier in the series. Meanwhile, Andy Pages was dropped to the ninth spot. The changes also included Kiké Hernández staying in the lineup despite facing a right-handed pitcher, and Max Muncy returning as a starter. These moves were made ahead of a potential series-clinching game against Braves' right-hander Tyler Mahle.

Written for “Dodgers Ohtani Batting Order Changes” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Dodgers Ohtani Batting Order Changes
Sports · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
New York Post
Hedges 2 of 28 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss different times during the playoffs, with Article A referring to pre-playoff expectations and Article B discussing decisions made during an ongoing NLDS game.”
New York Post
Hedges 1 of 13 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of a game but describe distinct occurrences: one about Shohei Ohtani's batting order change and the other about Miguel Rojas being out due to injury.”
New York Post
Hedges 1 of 10 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different phases of the Dodgers' playoff progression, with Article A discussing changes for Game 4 of the NLDS and Article B detailing roster adjustments for the upcoming NLCS.”
New York Post
Hedges 6 of 43 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A discusses potential lineup changes before Game 3, while Article B describes actual lineup changes for Game 4.”
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 11 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A discusses changes to Shohei Ohtani's batting order for a potential series-clinching game on Wednesday, while Article B talks about Andy Pages' performance in the same series but focuses on his specific contribution that helped clinch the NLCS victory. They describe different parts of the event.”
New York Post
Hedges 1 of 18 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A discusses Ohtani's batting order change before Game 4, while Article B describes a defensive error during Game 4 and Mahle's reaction.”
New York Post
Hedges 5 of 35 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss related developments involving Shohei Ohtani's batting order changes during the NLDS, but they refer to different points in time and outcomes: Article A is about moving him up in the lineup for Game 4 on Wednesday, while Article B reflects after the game and discusses potential future considerations.”
New York Post
Hedges 2 of 41 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles refer to different stages of the playoffs for Ohtani, with Article A discussing changes during Game 4 of the NLDS on October 7th and Article B addressing overall performance and manager's perspective in a later phase.”
New York Post
Hedges 1 of 16 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different lineup adjustments for Shohei Ohtani on consecutive days, not the same specific incident.”
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 6 claims Outlet record 66/100
“While both articles discuss the Dodgers' Game 4 NLDS match against the Braves on October 7, Article A focuses on changes to Shohei Ohtani's batting order, while Article B describes a specific defensive blunder by Mauricio Dubón that occurred during the game. They describe different aspects of the same day’s events.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

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Claims extracted
14
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 14 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
66/100
New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-07 · how these are computed

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Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

New York Post · 16741 article(s) · 36 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 36 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Jack Harris
92 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 What Friedman didn’t do, however, was say that the Dodgers would be all-in on Skubal this winter, or that they would do whatever it takes to lock him up in a free agency process that is expected to end with the soon-to-be 30-year-old breaking Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s record guarantee of $325 million for a pitcher.
🔮 After the team was eliminated from the National League Championship Series last week, Ohtani said he was not sure if he would need any offseason procedures.
🔮 When a new CBA is struck, and what changes to the league’s financial structure it could possibly entail, is still anyone’s guess.
🔮 This season, the group couldn’t replicate that success, enduring adversity during an injury-plagued regular season and then failure against a relentless Brewers offense in the team’s National League Championship Series elimination.
🔮 “Yes, definitely,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton on Thursday night, when asked if he intended to return to pitching in 2027.
🔮 Rojas will remain in the Dodgers’ organization moving forward, having agreed to transition into player development after 2026 when he re-signed as a free agent with the club this winter.
🔮 Instead, despite a 100-win regular season and league-record $432 million payroll, the two-time defending champions were eliminated in the National League Championship Series by the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday, ending their bid for history and sending them into an uncertain offseason –– one that could include an extended lockout, notable changes to the roster, and existential questions about how to retool around their aging veteran core.
🔮 Just a fourth-straight loss and an embarrassing elimination that will send the Dodgers into a long, regretful winter full of future uncertainty.
🔮 After striking out in his first at-bat Thursday night, Ohtani delivered the kind of moment the Dodgers had been waiting for all October, unloading on a down-and-in cutter from ex-Dodger Dustin May to give the Dodgers an early 4-0 lead in their elimination game.
🔮 Whenever the offseason arrives, notable changes could be coming to the Dodgers’ clubhouse. Freeman and Muncy won’t be going anywhere, nor will other core veterans such as Mookie Betts, Will Smith or Shohei Ohtani. But Miguel Rojas is likely to retire.
Also by Jack Harris
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 92 articles by Jack Harris →

Topics

ATLANTA Braves Dodgers Game 3 Game 4

Subjects

Braves ORG · 3× Dodgers ORG · 3× Ohtani PERSON · 3× ATLANTA GPE · 1× Angels ORG · 1× Chris Sale PERSON · 1× Kiké Hernández PERSON · 1× Max Muncy PERSON · 1× Shohei Ohtani PERSON · 1× Tyler Mahle PERSON · 1×

Narrative

After batting the two-way star in the five-hole on Tuesday in a 3-1 win over the Braves in the National League Division Series — the lowest Ohtani had hit since the 2020 season with the Angels –– the Dodgers bumped the slumping four-time MVP up for their potential series-clinching Game 4 showdown with Braves right-hander Tyler Mahle on Wednesday, slotting him in the cleanup spot for his first time with the team.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-07
🔮 Andy Pages, meanwhile, was dropped into the nine-hole, where he will look to build off a two-hit performance in Game 3 that snapped his previous 0-for-8 slump to start the series.
2026-10-07 · New York Post
Dodgers move Shohei Ohtani in batting order again amid ongoing NLDS slump · assertive framing

Claims (14 extracted, 0 hedged)

After batting the two-way star in the five-hole on Tuesday in a 3-1 win over the Braves in the National League Division Series — the lowest Ohtani had hit since the 2020 season with the Angels –– the Dodgers bumped the slumping four-time MVP up for their potential series-clinching Game 4 showdown with Braves right-hander Tyler Mahle on Wednesday, slotting him in the cleanup spot for his first time with the team. asserted
Dodgers → bat → team
That was one of several changes the Dodgers made as they looked to book a spot in the NL Championship Series. asserted
they → make → Series
Game 3 hero Kiké Hernández remained in the lineup, even against a right-handed pitcher, coming off his latest October highlight with a go-ahead home run against Chris Sale on Tuesday. asserted
Hernández → remain → Tuesday
Max Muncy also returned to the starting nine for the first time since Game 1, having come off the bench the previous two games with the Braves starting left-handed pitchers. asserted
Braves → return → pitchers
Miguel Rojas did not get a start, after tweaking his back on a swing Tuesday that forced him to leave Game 3 early (he was initially optimistic he hadn’t suffered anything too serious, but the team wanted to see how he felt pregame Wednesday before deciding on his availability). asserted
he → get → availability
Andy Pages, meanwhile, was dropped into the nine-hole, where he will look to build off a two-hit performance in Game 3 that snapped his previous 0-for-8 slump to start the series. asserted
that → drop → series
The injury-hampered slugger has looked little like his typically dominant self this week, going 2-for-10 so far this series with one walk, three strikeouts and several empty at-bats with runners on base. asserted
slugger → hamper → base
The 32-year-old is still searching for his first home run since Aug. 18, having suffered a power outage amid ongoing right arm and left knee injuries. asserted
old → search → injuries
He also has just one RBI in that span, hitting .163 in his last 21 games (including both regular-season and postseason play). asserted
He → have → play
“I still thought his intent, the at-bats were better,” manager Dave Roberts said after Game 3, when the Dodgers overcame Ohtani’s lack of production again to take a 2-1 series lead. asserted
Dodgers → think → lead
“It’s good to know that we can still win games without him doing a whole bunch. asserted
him → ’ → bunch
But he’s going to come to life. asserted
he → go → life
It will happen.” asserted
It → happen → ?
Their hope on Wednesday: That a new spot in the batting order would help him snap out of his extended, physically diminished funk. asserted
him → help → funk
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