Manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday that Ohtani will bat anywhere from second to sixth with the two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers losing the first two games of the best-of-seven series.
asserted
Dodgers → say → series
“He was very convicted that he is onto something mechanically (with his swing),” Roberts said.
asserted
Roberts → say → swing
“He was adamant that he can help us.
asserted
he → help → us
He’s well enough to help us win a baseball game, so that’s all I needed to hear.”
asserted
I → ’ → game
Ohtani is hitting .150 (3 for 20) over six postseason games.
asserted
Ohtani → hit → games
He has seven strikeouts, three walks and one stolen base with no home runs, no RBIs and an OPS of .411.
asserted
He → have → .411
He hasn’t homered since Aug. 18 at Colorado.
asserted
He → homer → Colorado
Ohtani admitted before the NLDS against Atlanta that he’s not 100% healthy from right biceps and left knee issues that bothered him the last the last few months of the regular season.
asserted
that → admit → season
He has appeared visibly uncomfortable at the plate while flailing at pitches.
asserted
He → appear → pitches
“The symptoms have subdued a lot,” Ohtani said Tuesday through a translator while making an unscheduled appearance in the off-day interview room.
asserted
Ohtani → subdue → room
“The symptoms shouldn’t be the reason why I can’t hit, and even if the injuries happen by accident, I take full responsibility.”
asserted
I → hit → responsibility
Roberts spoke to Ohtani before the team worked out at Dodger Stadium, where Ohtani took on-field batting practice, something he rarely does during the regular season.
asserted
he → speak → season
Roberts said their conversation wasn’t about benching the Japanese superstar, but rather offering him time off similar to Freddie Freeman during the postseason in 2024.
asserted
conversation → say → 2024
Freeman had a sprained ankle and bone bruise, and took three days off spanning the NL Division Series and NLCS before earning World Series MVP honors.
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Freeman → have → honors
“Over the course of this long season, there’s only really a short period of time when my mechanics is completely in sync,” Ohtani said.
asserted
Ohtani → ’ → sync
“So it’s just really kind of just going back and forth, finding the right parts of the swing and managing just the different parts of the swing.
asserted
it → go → swing
It’s a constant, ongoing process that’s headed in the right direction.”
asserted
that → ’ → direction
Ohtani led the Dodgers to a four-game NLCS sweep of Milwaukee last year, when the Brewers hit a measly .118 against LA’s pitching.
asserted
Brewers → lead → pitching
He was 5 for 14 (.357) with three home runs, four walks and five strikeouts as NLCS MVP — all three homers came in a memorable Game 4 clinch in which he also struck out 10 as a pitcher.
asserted
he → come → pitcher
He had a 1.643 OPS and 1.143 slugging percentage.
asserted
He → have → OPS
“We remember vividly at this time last year that he maybe had the best baseball game ever played the day he pitched against us and hit a home run every time up, it seemed like,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said.
asserted
Murphy → remember → run
“You can’t forget that, his capabilities.
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You → forget → that
But you still have to go at him.”
asserted
you → have → him
Ohtani is known for hitting homers but the offensively starved Dodgers would take any kind of production from him at this point.
asserted
Dodgers → know → point
“In this big moment, we’re listening to Shohei, and we’re going to support the crap out of him and believe in him,” Roberts said, “and that’s it.”
asserted
that → listen → him
Snell looking to rebound for Dodgers in Game 3
Two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell starts for Los Angeles against Robert Gasser of the Brewers in a matchup of left-handers on Wednesday.
asserted
Snell → look → Wednesday
The Dodgers will be looking to get considerably more innings out of Snell than in his last start on Oct. 4.
asserted
Dodgers → look → Oct.
He lasted 3 2/3 innings, giving up one run, three hits, walking five and striking out five, in a 3-2 loss in Game 2 of the NLDS against Atlanta.
asserted
He → last → Atlanta
He didn’t speak to media afterward and has kept a low profile since then.
asserted
He → speak → profile
“Just a lot of time talking to myself, figuring out where I need to get to, where I’m at,” he said.
asserted
he → talk → where
“Watching two games against Milwaukee, just kind of game planning, seeing what I can expose, what they’re doing really well.
asserted
they → watch → what
Mitchell back home
Brewers center fielder Garrett Mitchell grew up in Orange County as a Los Angeles Angels fan.
asserted
Mitchell → grow → fan
His family had season tickets in left field.
asserted
family → have → field
He went to high school with the son of Angels star Garret Anderson.
asserted
He → go → Anderson
“Got to have some good conversations with him, take some blasts into the past and talk about memories,” Mitchell said.
asserted
Mitchell → got → memories
I also have a personal relationship with Adam Kennedy as well.”
asserted
I → have → Kennedy
Mitchell said the way the Angels played reminds him of how the Brewers approach games.
asserted
Brewers → say → games
“Guys who maybe aren’t the greatest or the best on the field but know what they’ve got to do and know their roles and grind and compete to the best of their abilities,” he said.
asserted
he → know → abilities
“That’s what it takes, it’s a team effort.” ___
asserted
it → ’ → what
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