Shohei Ohtani will play in NLCS Game 3 as Dave Roberts feels breakthrough is near

Shohei Ohtani will play in NLCS Game 3 as Dave Roberts feels breakthrough is near.

Key points

• The Dodgers won their second consecutive World Series, in seven games over the Toronto Blue Jays.
• Ohtani, 32, has just three singles in 20 at-bats this postseason, with seven strikeouts and three walks.
• Bob Nightengale breaks down what could be going on with the lack of Shohei Ohtani in this MLB postseason.
• "The word I would use is conviction: He was very convicted that he's on to something mechanically, " Roberts remarked to journalists in Los Angeles.

Shohei Ohtani will play in NLCS Game 3 as Dave Roberts feels breakthrough is near. Gabe Lacques USA TODAY. Shohei Ohtani remains absent from MLB postseason.

Shohei Ohtani, physically diminished and mired in one of the worst slumps of his major league career, will remain in the lineup for Game 3 of the National League Championship Series, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts remarked Tuesday, Oct. 13.

Ohtani, 32, has just three singles in 20 at-bats this postseason, with seven strikeouts and three walks. He has not hit a home run since Aug. 17, and finished the regular season batting.160 with a.284 on-base percentage over his final 88 plate appearances. The Dodgers finally put him on the injured list in early September, a concession to left knee and right biceps injuries that hampered him much of this season and reduced him to a one-way player.

When Ohtani hit eight home runs in 84 plate appearances, posted a.405 OBP and 1.096 OPS, while pitching at least once every series, it's a significant contrast from last postseason. The Dodgers won their second consecutive World Series, in seven games over the Toronto Blue Jays.

Facing a 2-0 deficit in this NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers, Roberts held a long conversation with Ohtani in the off day before Game 3 and emerged confident Ohtani will commence producing.

"The word I would use is conviction: He was very convicted that he's on to something mechanically, " Roberts remarked to journalists in Los Angeles. "He was adamant that he can support us, he's well enough to assist us win a baseball game. That's all we needed to hear."

In practice, the Dodgers and Ohtani have both kept the extent of his injuries vague, and Ohtani's performance since returning from the IL – a combined 8-for-41 including the postseason, with just one double and 15 strikeouts – have hardly tamped down reservations concerning his health.

Ohtani remarked Tuesday he believes the IL stint assisted and that his health has improved.

"The symptoms have subdued a lot, especially when I was on the IL, spending that time just being able to reduce the symptoms, " Ohtani remarked to journalists in Los Angeles, via interpreter Will Ireton. "As of now with the swing, it's a daily process of trying different things, different feel on a daily basis."

Notes Roberts: "It's everything. It's the upper body. It's the knee. He's just not perfect. But in his words, he's ready to go."

In a sense, the fear of the Dodgers pulling the plug on Ohtani before he breaks out seems to exceed the reservations over continuing to run him out there. For now, the potential outweighs the empty plate appearances the Dodgers have received from their superstar through two NLCS games.

"We can all kind of analyze this. But no one knows what's going to happen tomorrow or ensuing days, " notes Roberts. "But in this big moment, we're listening to Shohei and we're going to support the crap out of him and believe in him."

Ohtani refused to blame injuries for his poor performance, even as he's had to mitigate them for a number of weeks – and into the most scrutinized portion of the season.

"The symptoms shouldn't be the reason why I can't hit, and even if the injuries happen by accident, I take full responsibility, " Ohtani remarked to journalists. "I take that as an opportunity for me to just take full responsibility for it. Today it's going to be another process for me to tinker and try new things." SMS Facebook Twitter Email. Share your feedback to support improve our site! Share your feedback to support improve our site!

For now, shohei Ohtani will play in NLCS Game 3 as Dave Roberts feels remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.