Shohei Ohtani Bats Sixth as Dodgers Chase NLCS Game 3

Shohei Ohtani is playing, just not where Dodgers fans are used to seeing him. Dave Roberts penciled Ohtani in sixth as the designated hitter for Wednesday night's NLCS Game 3 against the Milwaukee Brewers, and MLB.com notes the last time Ohtani started sixth or lower in a lineup was 2020.

That is the clearest sign yet of how deep this slump runs, and of how badly the two-time defending champs need this one. Milwaukee leads the series 2-0 after winning both games at American Family Field.

Why Roberts moved him down

The Dodgers talked about sitting Ohtani outright. Instead, Roberts kept him in against Brewers lefty Robert Gasser and dropped a struggling Will Smith to seventh. The top five reads Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernandez, Kyle Tucker and Andy Pages, with Ohtani right behind them.

The numbers explain the move. Ohtani went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in the Game 2 loss. He has not homered since Aug. 18. He is 3-for-20 this postseason. He also finished the regular season 11-for-70.

Roberts said Ohtani pushed hard to stay in. "He was adamant that he can help us," Roberts said Tuesday. "He's well enough to help us win a baseball game. So that's all I needed to hear. I've never wavered in my belief in him."

Roberts has acknowledged the left knee and right arm issues that shut Ohtani down as a pitcher in early July are still bothering him. Ohtani, speaking through an interpreter, said the symptoms have "subdued a lot" and refused to hide behind them. "The symptoms shouldn't be the reason why I can't hit," he said.

The 3-0 cliff

Here is the history hanging over Dodger Stadium. Forty-two teams have fallen behind 3-0 in a best-of-seven postseason series. Thirty-two of them were swept. Only one came all the way back, and Roberts was on that 2004 Red Sox team.

"It's certainly a challenge," Roberts said. "Can we do it? Absolutely. But it's just: You want to get that first one."

Blake Snell gets the ball for Los Angeles. He owns a 2.19 ERA in five starts at Dodger Stadium this year, counting the postseason, and the last time he saw Milwaukee, in last year's NLCS, he struck out 10 over eight scoreless innings. Gasser counters for the Brewers with a 1.73 ERA over his last seven outings, six of them starts.

What Milwaukee brings

The Brewers bullpen has been close to untouchable, posting a 0.31 ERA across 28 2/3 innings this October. William Contreras carried Game 2 with a game-tying homer, a game-tying single and a go-ahead single, and he bats third behind Jackson Chourio and Brice Turang.

First pitch is 5 p.m. PT on FS1, with Game 4 also at Dodger Stadium on Thursday. For DFS players, Ohtani in the six hole is a pure bounce-back bet, not a form play.

Dodgers fans do not need the math. One big swing from Ohtani in the sixth spot flips this whole series back to a fight. Another quiet night, and Milwaukee is one win from the World Series.