Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters Tuesday that Shohei Ohtani will be in the lineup for Game 3 of the NLCS on Wednesday against the Brewers, according to ESPN. Roberts said he had a "great conversation" with the two-time NL MVP. Sportsnet reported separately that Ohtani was "adamant" about being in the lineup.
The news comes after Los Angeles has dropped the first two games of the series at Milwaukee. The Dodgers lost 2-1 on Sunday and fell 7-4 on Monday to fall behind 0-2 in a best-of-seven matchup. Milwaukee improved to 5-0 in the postseason with those wins and now holds the series edge heading home to Los Angeles, where the Dodgers will host Game 3.
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Ohtani is hitting .275 with 30 home runs and 81 RBIs across 139 games in the regular season, but has struggled during the series so far. His inclusion in the lineup represents a commitment from Roberts to keep the superstar in the middle of the order despite the early postseason difficulties. The exact nature of his struggles in the first two games—whether injury-related or purely a matter of performance—was not specified in the reporting.
The Dodgers finished the regular season 100-62, first in the NL West, though they enter Wednesday having lost back-to-back games. The Brewers, who went 103-59 and won the NL Central, will look to extend their winning streak to six games.
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