Dave Roberts stubbornly shoots down idea that might snap Shohei Ohtani out of postseason slump

If the Los Angeles Dodgers are going to bounce back from a tough loss in Game 2 and take this NLCS from the red-hot New York Mets, it has to start with the team’s best player and the presumptive NL MVP: Shohei Ohtani.

The world couldn’t wait to see what the game’s brightest talent would do now that he’d finally made it to the postseason — the single biggest reason he signed his megadeal with the crosstown Dodgers in the first place. But the results so far have been … underwhelming, to say the least. After homering in his playoff debut against the San Diego Padres, Ohtani has been awfully quiet, going just 4-for-22 over his last six games without a single extra-base hit in that span. The Dodgers survived without him in the NLDS, but with the NLCS heading to New York tied at a game apiece, now would be a very good time for L.A.’s $700 million man to make himself heard.

It would also be nice if his manager stopped getting in his way, though. A key piece of information suggests that the Dodgers are be due for a lineup change, one that might put Ohtani into more advantageous situations. Dave Roberts, however, is stubbornly clinging to what he’s done all year long.

Dave Roberts has no intention of moving Shohei Ohtani out of the leadoff spot  Ohtani’s overall struggles of late come with a very strange caveat: He’s been awful with the bases empty but incredible with men on base, with 21 hits (including six homers) in his last 31 plate appearances in the latter situation.

Shohei Ohtani’s last 24 times up with bases empty:
0-for-22 with 2 walks and 10 strikeouts

Shohei Ohtani’s last 31 times up with runners on base:
13 singles, 2 doubles, 6 home runs, 4 walks, 1 HBP

It’s completely ridiculous. pic.twitter.com/UxIbLpZ24E

— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) October 16, 2024

Given all of that — and given how much the bottom of L.A.’s order has struggled to put men on in front of Ohtani all year, but especially in the postseason — you’d think that Roberts might want to drop Ohtani down a spot or two, putting him behind Mookie Betts and/or Freddie Freeman and in position to drive in runs. It also might give him some better pitches to hit: Teams are loath to come anywhere near the strike zone when Ohtani is up right now, a strategy that’s far harder to execute when there are already one or two men on.

But Roberts isn’t buying it.  “It’s just funny how things change, where there was a lot of concern about Shohei not being able to get hits with the runners in scoring position, and now we’re all trying to find ways … to get guys on base so he can hit, right?” Roberts told reporters ahead of Game 3 on Wednesday. “I kind of find that comical, a little bit.”

It might be funny to the manager, but it’s certainly not to Dodgers fans, and it won’t be if L.A.’s offense can’t get itself back on track in time to save this series. Ohtani remains arguably the most dangerous hitter on the planet, and he’s likely to bounce back no matter where he hits in the lineup. But clearly there’s something behind his bizarre splits right now, and teams are having far too easy a time pitching around him as it stands. We all know the definition of insanity, and Roberts is walking right into it right now.