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Dodgers shake up NLCS lineup, restoring Shohei Ohtani to leadoff with season on the line

Read the original at Toronto Star ↗
Cite

Harris, B. (2026, October 15). Dodgers shake up NLCS lineup, restoring Shohei Ohtani to leadoff with season on the line. Toronto Star. https://www.thestar.com/sports/baseball/dodgers-shake-up-nlcs-lineup-restoring-shohei-ohtani-to-leadoff-with-season-on-the-line/article_447b1930-1490-5c47-b04d-473ee0efcef7.html

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

Toronto Star · collected 2026-10-16 · by Beth Harris

Quick Summary

Before a critical Game 4 of the National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday night, the Los Angeles Dodgers adjusted their lineup, moving Shohei Ohtani back to the leadoff position and shifting other key players around in an attempt to turn things around after trailing 3-0. Manager Dave Roberts made several changes based on recent player performance and practices, including elevating Will Smith to the fourth spot from seventh and dropping Freddie Freeman slightly but keeping him in a high-productivity slot at third.
Written by AI on 2026-10-16, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Milwaukee Brewers swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series (NLCS), advancing to the World Series for the first time since 1982. The Brewers won all four games, marking an unexpected upset against the two-time defending champions. Key moments included Game 3, where Garrett Mitchell hit a go-ahead home run, and the bullpen's crucial late-game performances throughout the series. Former Cy Young winner John Smoltz criticized the Dodgers' pitch selections, noting they put the Brewers in advantageous positions. The World Series will feature the Brewers against either the Cleveland Guardians or Tampa Bay Rays, starting on October 23rd. This matchup highlights teams known for their strategic approach and athleticism over financial might.

Written for “Brewers Sweep Dodgers To Reach World Series” on 2026-11-05, grounded in this article and the 36 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Brewers Sweep Dodgers To Reach World Series
Sports · 37 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
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How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
21
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 21 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
64/100
Toronto Star's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
37
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-16 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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Who wrote this

Beth Harris
41 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 I might shed a tear, honestly, I can’t lie,” she said.
2026-10-30 · assertive framing · JuJu Watkins returns from an ACL tear as USC eyes its first title since 1984
🔮 Starting forward Ziaire Williams missed the game with a sore left foot.
2026-10-29 · assertive framing · Lakers rout Clippers 103-87 without Luka Doncic
🔮 Fans will want to circle Jan. 30 on their calendars.
2026-10-26 · assertive framing · JuJu Watkins returns for USC, and the Trojans' title hopes soar in the talent-laden Big Ten
🔮 That helped set up third-string quarterback Kayd Coffman’s 14-yard TD pass to Keshawn Williams in the first quarter.
2026-10-25 · assertive framing · No. 9 UCLA rallies past Michigan State 28-10 for its first 7-0 start since 2005
🔮 The Spartans will visit the historic stadium on Friday to get pictures for their social media accounts, as Fitzgerald put it.
2026-10-22 · assertive framing · A 3-9 rebuild to 6-0: No. 9 UCLA's fast rise meets struggling Michigan State at the Rose Bowl
🔮 If he does, would the recovery bleed into the start of next season?
2026-10-17 · assertive framing · Shohei Ohtani's health and a possible lockout loom over an uncertain offseason for the Dodgers
🔮 Ohtani and Will Smith slumped badly throughout the Division Series win over Atlanta in four games and the NLCS defeat.
2026-10-16 · assertive framing · Dodgers’ dream of World Series 3-peat unravels as Brewers storm back to sweep NLCS
🔮 “They may have a bunch of Hall of Famers, but we’ve got a bunch of gamers — and the gamers won this week,” Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said.
2026-10-16 · assertive framing · Brewers sweep the Dodgers in the NLCS to reach the World Series for the first time since 1982
🔮 Will Smith, whose offensive struggles mirrored Ohtani’s, moved up to fourth from seventh.
2026-10-16 · assertive framing · Dodgers shake up NLCS lineup, restoring Shohei Ohtani to leadoff with season on the line
🔮 If they can find a way to win, they would host Game 5 on Friday.
2026-10-15 · assertive framing · Dodgers down 3-0 to Brewers in NLCS and must win 4 in a row for chance at 3rd straight championship
Also by Beth Harris
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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 41 articles by Beth Harris →

Topics

Dodgers Game 3 Game 4 LOS ANGELES the Los Angeles Dodgers

Subjects

Ohtani PERSON · 6× Dodgers ORG · 4× Roberts PERSON · 4× Kiké Hernández PERSON · 2× Dave Roberts PERSON · 1× LOS ANGELES GPE · 1× Mookie Betts PERSON · 1× Shohei Ohtani PERSON · 1× the Los Angeles Dodgers ORG · 1× the Milwaukee Brewers ORG · 1×

Narrative

The Dodgers trailed the Milwaukee Brewers 3-0 in the best-of-seven series, and needed to four straight wins to reach the World Series and keep alive their bid for a third consecutive championship.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-16
🔮 Will Smith, whose offensive struggles mirrored Ohtani’s, moved up to fourth from seventh.
2026-10-16 · Toronto Star
Dodgers shake up NLCS lineup, restoring Shohei Ohtani to leadoff with season on the line · assertive framing

Claims (21 extracted, 0 hedged)

, the Los Angeles Dodgers restored Shohei Ohtani to the top of the batting order for Game 4 of the National League Championship Series on Thursday night. asserted
Dodgers → restore → night
The Dodgers trailed the Milwaukee Brewers 3-0 in the best-of-seven series, and needed to four straight wins to reach the World Series and keep alive their bid for a third consecutive championship. asserted
Dodgers → trail → championship
Ohtani batted sixth in a 6-2 loss on Wednesday night, the lowest he’s hit since joining the Dodgers ahead of the 2024 season. asserted
he → bat → season
He was 1 for 2 with a walk to raise his batting average to .182. asserted
He → raise → .182
“Just seeing the work the last couple days, I like where his head is at,” manager Dave Roberts said before the game. asserted
Roberts → see → game
“I liked the at-bats yesterday. asserted
I → like → bats
Obviously we haven’t performed the way that we’re capable of, so to kind of shake it up a little bit but something that’s of somewhat normalcy that our guys are used to. asserted
guys → perform → that
Ohtani typically leads off the order but has been dropped lower while struggling with injuries to his left knee and right biceps for the last few months. asserted
Ohtani → lead → months
Roberts didn’t tell Ohtani about the change before posting the lineup. asserted
Roberts → tell → lineup
Roberts said Ohtani has given him reasons to believe in the four-time MVP, citing Ohtani staying until 9 p.m. on Tuesday to work on his swing and his improved at-bat quality. asserted
Ohtani → say → bat
“Baking all that in, I felt absolutely, put him at the top asserted
I → bake → top
,” he said. asserted
he → say → ?
“I feel good about him taking five at-bats and giving us our best chance to win and produce runs.” asserted
him → feel → runs
Roberts tweaked the entire lineup after Wednesday’s loss put the Dodgers on the brink of elimination. asserted
loss → tweak → elimination
Mookie Betts, who led off in Game 3, was bumped to No. 2, while Freddie Freeman moved to No. 3. asserted
Freeman → lead → .
Will Smith, whose offensive struggles mirrored Ohtani’s, moved up to fourth from seventh. asserted
struggles → mirror → seventh
Smith doubled in the sixth inning, when the Dodgers briefly took a 2-1 lead. asserted
Dodgers → double → lead
“I thought Will took very good at-bats, big hit yesterday,” Roberts said. asserted
Roberts → think → bats
Kyle Tucker hit fifth, while Teoscar Hernández went from third to sixth. asserted
Hernández → hit → sixth
Miguel Rojas hit seventh and Andy Pages dropped to eighth from fifth. asserted
Pages → hit → fifth
Kiké Hernández, who came off the bench in Game 3, hit ninth, with regular third baseman Max Muncy available to come off the bench for Rojas or Kiké Hernández. asserted
Muncy → come → Rojas
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