The Dodgers are making a notable tweak to their Game 2 look after getting shut down offensively in the opener against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Tommy Edman is back in the lineup, and Dave Roberts is rolling out a reshuffled order as Los Angeles tries to respond to the Game 1 loss. Mookie Betts leads off at shortstop, followed by Freddie Freeman at first, Teoscar Hernández in left, Shohei Ohtani at DH, Will Smith behind the plate, Max Muncy at third, Andy Pages in center, Kyle Tucker in right and Edman at second.
The move comes with a few bats still searching for rhythm. Freeman went 0-for-4 in Game 1, while Smith is just 1-for-19 in the postseason. Kike Hernandez also went 0-for-3 in the opener, giving him back-to-back hitless postseason games.
Even so, the Dodgers didn’t look lost at the plate. They put together quality at-bats in Game 1, but couldn’t cash in when traffic reached the bases. That’s the kind of night that stings for a lineup built so heavily around the long ball - because in this offense, one or two big swings can change everything.
Milwaukee is sending another right-hander to the mound in Logan Henderson, who owns a 1.80 ERA through five postseason innings. He’s been one of the more promising righties in the playoff mix, but the Dodgers still hold the edge on the pitching side.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto gets the ball for Los Angeles. The Dodgers are counting on him to keep things under control, and his postseason track record gives them plenty of reason to believe. He’s been one of baseball’s best road pitchers, and his 2025 run has only strengthened that case.
After dropping Game 1, Los Angeles needs a win in Game 2 to grab back home-field advantage. With the offense still looking for answers, the pressure on Yamamoto is obvious: he’ll need to be at his best.
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Dodgers May Make A Stunning NLCS Change Against The Brewers
Shohei Ohtanis postseason slump has become one of the bigger subplots around the Dodgers as the National League Championship Series shifts to Game 3 against the Brewers. Ohtani has struggled at the plate in recent months, and the power outage has been especially stark, with no home runs since Aug. 18. For a lineup built around star production, that has put Los Angeles in an uncomfortable spot at exactly the wrong time.
The Dodgers are at least weighing a bold response, with the possibility of sitting Ohtani for Game 3 and using rookie Josue De Paula as the designated hitter instead. No formal decision has been made, but the idea alone speaks to how seriously the club is treating the issue as the series tightens. If Los Angeles does make the move, it would be one of the more surprising calls of the postseason. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Face Unthinkable Ohtani Decision At Worst Possible Time
Shohei Ohtanis first season with the Dodgers has reached a delicate stage, with the club weighing whether his recent stretch of struggles and injuries calls for a change in his role. Dave Roberts said he plans to sit down with Ohtani and sort through the best course of action, a sign that the conversation is moving beyond routine maintenance and into something more consequential for a team still trying to balance patience with urgency.
Josue De Paula has surfaced as one possible option to fill the lineup spot if the Dodgers decide Ohtani needs a break, but nothing has been finalized. For now, the situation leaves Los Angeles in an uncomfortable holding pattern, with one of its biggest stars under the microscope and the team trying to decide whether the smartest move is to keep running him out there or make the kind of difficult adjustment no one saw coming. [Read more 🡒]
Dave Roberts Owns The Dodgers Decisions Fans Wont Forget
The Dodgers Game 2 loss to the Brewers left plenty of the blame pointed straight at Dave Roberts, and not just because Los Angeles was outplayed in obvious ways. Milwaukee was better offensively and sharper defensively, but the conversation afterward kept circling back to Roberts pitching choices, especially the decision to go to the bullpen early for Roki Sasaki and the intentional walk of Brice Turang.
Roberts has lived through this kind of scrutiny before, but October has a way of making every move feel heavier. With the NLCS shifting and every tactical decision carrying real weight, the Dodgers are now dealing with a familiar postseason question: whether their managers game management helped them stay in it or put them in a harder spot from the start. [Read more 🡒]