The Milwaukee Brewers carry a 2-0 lead into National League Championship Series Game 3 on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium, where the Dodgers will again turn to Shohei Ohtani despite ongoing knee and biceps injuries and a prolonged offensive drought.
Milwaukee took Game 1 by a 2-1 score on Sunday and followed with a 7-4 victory on Monday at American Family Field. The wins give the Brewers a chance to push the two-time defending World Series champions closer to elimination on the road.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday that Ohtani will start in the Game 3 lineup after a conversation in which the player insisted he is ready.
“He’s adamant he feels good enough to be in there. He’s close to finding something with his swing. I feel great about it,” Roberts said. “He wants to be in there and help us win a ballgame and win a championship. Great conversation, and I’m excited about having him in there.”
Ohtani is 3 for 20 this postseason. He has one hit in eight plate appearances across the first two games of the series.
The 32-year-old spent 12 days on the injured list in September while dealing with the knee and biceps issues. He has not homered since Aug. 18 and is 11 for 70 (.157) with no home runs over his last 24 games.
“The results, I take full responsibility,” Ohtani said on Tuesday. “That’s all I can really say, why the results haven’t been where I wanted it to be. I think there’s different approaches to this, whether that be focusing on reducing the symptoms and getting rid of the pain and/or just making sure that I’m moving well in the swing.”
He added that the symptoms have eased since the injured-list stint.
“The symptoms have subdued a lot,” Ohtani said. “Especially when I was on the IL, spending that time just being able to reduce the symptoms. As of now with the swing, it’s a daily process of trying different things, different feel on a daily basis.”
Brewers manager Pat Murphy acknowledged Ohtani’s past dominance but noted the current situation.
“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,” Murphy said Wednesday. “You can’t forget that, his capabilities.”
During the regular season Ohtani hit .275/.377/.512 with 30 home runs and 81 RBIs. On the mound he worked 85 2/3 innings with a 1.79 ERA before the injuries limited him. He has not pitched since July 3 and will not return to the mound this postseason.
The Dodgers managed just nine singles and one double across their two losses in Milwaukee. Their offense has produced limited power while trailing in the series.
Teams that take a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven postseason series have gone on to win roughly 83 percent of the time historically.
Game 3 is set for Wednesday night in Los Angeles. Milwaukee sends left-hander Robert Gasser to the mound opposite Dodgers starter Blake Snell.
The Brewers, who finished the regular season at 103-59, have already shown they can contain Los Angeles. Another strong outing could push them within one win of the franchise’s first National League pennant.
Ohtani’s limited production has left the Dodgers searching for answers with their season on the line. Milwaukee’s early success has put the pressure squarely on the defending champions as the series shifts venues.
