MILWAUKEE –– Entering Monday night, the Dodgers were not giving serious consideration to removing Shohei Ohtani from their lineup.
asserted
Dodgers → enter → lineup
One big loss, and four ugly at-bats later, however, that previously steadfast plan suddenly seemed capable of changing.
Following a 7-4 defeat to the Milwaukee Brewers that put the Dodgers in a two-game hole in their National League Championship Series, manager Dave Roberts told The Athletic that the team would have “a conversation” with Ohtani about his status for Game 3.
asserted
team → seem → Game
The development came after Ohtani’s worst performance this postseason, in which he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
asserted
he → come → strikeouts
Over six games in these playoffs, the four-time MVP is now just 3-for-20 with only three singles, two walks and seven strikeouts while battling ongoing right arm and left knee issues –– playing at what the team has repeatedly acknowledged is well less than 100%.
asserted
team → battle → issues
Despite all that, the Dodgers have also been holding out hope for a revival from their two-way superstar.
asserted
Dodgers → hold → superstar
Roberts promised he would “come to life” eventually.
asserted
he → promise → life
President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman predicted that “at some point, it’s going to click for him.”
asserted
it → predict → him
Now, however, the Dodgers can’t afford to keep waiting around for Ohtani magic.
asserted
Dodgers → afford → magic
After back-to-back losses to open the NLCS in Milwaukee this week, they return home to Los Angeles just two more defeats away from elimination –– and only one from a 3-0 deficit that just one team in MLB history (Roberts’ iconic Boston Red Sox squad in the 2004 American League Championship Series) has ever come back from.
asserted
team → open → Series
“Can we [come back in this series]?
asserted
we → come → series
Absolutely,” Roberts said.
asserted
Roberts → say → ?
“But it’s just, you want to get that first [win].”
asserted
you → ’ → win
Prior to Monday, Ohtani had at least reached base safely in each of his first five playoff games.
asserted
Ohtani → reach → games
Instead of continuing to progress with his swing, however, his 0-fer in Game 2 represented a notable step back.
asserted
fer → continue → step
Before the game, the injury-hampered 32-year-old took batting practice on the field for a third-straight day –– a drastic, and telling, change of routine for someone who normally never hits outside of the indoor batting cages.
asserted
who → hamper → cages
During his BP sessions, coaches had also been encouraged by the look of his swing, optimistically noting the fact he was driving the ball to the big part of the field.
asserted
he → encourage → field
“I feel good [with] where he’s at,” Roberts said Sunday.
asserted
Roberts → feel → where
“[He is] certainly not 100 percent, but it’s good enough.”
asserted
it → ’ → ?
That, however, was no longer the case in Tuesday’s demoralizing loss, when the Dodgers’ offense as a whole managed just three hits, made outs in all 15 of their at-bats against Brewers relievers, and suddenly looked like a unit in desperate need of a jolt.
asserted
offense → manage → jolt
Ohtani didn’t provide one.
asserted
Ohtani → provide → one
Instead, he looked even more lost than ever before.
asserted
he → look → ?
He ended the first inning with a three-pitch strikeout, chasing an elevated fastball from Brewers rookie Logan Henderson.
asserted
He → end → Henderson
He stranded a runner at second to end the second, flailing at another high fastball for a softly hit grounder to third.
asserted
He → strand → third
Then came the sixth, when Ohtani was so fooled by a slider from left-handed reliever JoJo Romero that his bat flung out of his hands on his unsuccessful attempt to check his swing.
asserted
bat → come → swing
He would make one more out in the ninth, lifting a harmless fly ball to left field off top Brewers southpaw Aaron Ashby.
Once again, he did address reporters postgame, still yet to speak publicly since before the start of the NLDS.
If the Dodgers were to drop Ohtani from the lineup for Game 3 –– when the Brewers will start left-hander Robert Gasser –– the team would have several potential ways to fill his void at DH.
asserted
team → make → DH
The 21-year-old has only logged 45 total big-league plate appearances since being called up straight from double-A back in September, but has reached safely in more than half of them.
asserted
old → log → them
That includes a pair of impressive walks as a pinch-hitter in recent days; one that helped set up a game-winning rally in Game 4 of the NL Division Series, and another in an ultimately failed ninth-inning comeback bid in Game 1 of the NLCS on Sunday.
asserted
that → include → Sunday
Granted, swapping even a diminished version of Ohtani for someone so inexperienced would undoubtedly be a stunning decision on the surface.
asserted
swapping → grant → surface
But right now, De Paula might be just as much of an on-base threat, and (given he is fully healthy) is perhaps an even more likely candidate to potentially slug the ball.
uncertain
he → give → ball
And, at this increasingly dire stage, the Dodgers might not be able to risk another empty performance from their biggest star.
uncertain
Dodgers → risk → star
If not De Paula, the Dodgers could also use the DH spot to potentially fit October hero, and right-handed hitter, Kiké Hernández back in the lineup, after he was dropped back to the bench for Game 2 in favor of Tommy Edman.
uncertain
he → use → Edman
Perhaps it could also be a way to get Miguel Rojas in as another extra righty bat, especially while he nurses a back injury he suffered in the NLDS.
uncertain
he → get → NLDS
None of these scenarios, of course, are what the Dodgers wanted to be contemplating so soon into their World Series three-peat bid.
asserted
Dodgers → want → bid
But suddenly, with the stakes rising higher and Ohtani’s performance trending in the opposite direction, all options might need to be on the table.
uncertain
options → rise → table
The best player in baseball, at least in his current physical condition, might need to be benched.
uncertain
player → need → condition
The Aporia
