Dodgers considering moving Shohei Ohtani down in lineup for Game 3 vs Braves

Dave Roberts said he would be open to moving Shohei Ohtani lower than second in the lineup for Game 3, per Sonja Chen of clutchpoints.com.

The Dodgers head to Atlanta tied with the Braves in the NLDS, with Chris Sale on the mound tomorrow for the home side. That has Roberts weighing changes, though the exact lineup is not confirmed — he only said he is "open" to the shift.

One move is already off the table. Roberts said removing Andy Pages from the starting lineup won't happen as of now, despite Pages going 0-for-7 in the NLDS.

OHTANI'S STRUGGLES

The numbers explain why Roberts is even considering the move. Ohtani has been struggling at the plate recently, hitting just .238 over his last five games — a stretch that includes two playoff games and three regular-season contests.

The strikeouts are the sharper concern. Ohtani has fanned eight times in 21 at-bats during that span, a rate that has dragged down the middle of a Dodgers order built to punish mistakes.

Los Angeles has leaned on a consistent top three through the postseason: Mookie Betts, Ohtani, and Will Smith. That grouping has been the spine of the lineup, but Ohtani's recent output has made the two-hole feel less like a strength and more like a question mark.

Sliding him down would not be a demotion so much as a re-positioning. With Sale on the mound, the Dodgers may want Ohtani's power bat in a spot where a single swing can change the game — rather than early in the order, where his current whiff rate has been cutting rallies short.

THE NUMBERS BEHIND THE MOVE

The numbers give Roberts a defensible reason to shuffle the order. Ohtani is hitting .238 in his last five games, with eight strikeouts in 21 at-bats — a sample that includes two playoff games and three regular-season contests.