The Dodgers are tied 1-1 in the NLDS after dropping Game 2 to the Braves, and that leaves them staring at a best-of-three with Atlanta holding home-field advantage. That alone is enough to tighten the screws. But Los Angeles also has a far more unsettling issue hanging over the series: Shohei Ohtani is not looking like Shohei Ohtani.
Ohtani hasn’t pitched since July 3, when he was removed from his start against the Padres because of left knee discomfort and soreness in his right biceps. Those same issues kept him out of the All-Star Game and, as the source material indicates, likely will keep him from pitching in the postseason.
The Dodgers have enough rotation depth and top-end arms to survive without Ohtani on the mound. The bigger question is whether they can keep rolling with this version of him at the plate.
His knee inflammation sent him to the injured list in September, then he returned for the final five games of the regular season. In that stretch, he went 5 for 21 with just one extra-base hit, a double, while striking out eight times against one walk.
Zoom out, and the numbers stay cold: in September he hit .200/.333/.233, and his OPS fell from .953 in the first half of 2026 to .772 in the second half. The batted-ball authority that usually makes him so dangerous also slipped.
He still hasn’t homered since Aug. 18 in Coors Field. Including the current Braves series, that’s now 20 games and 80 at-bats without a home run.
The postseason hasn’t offered much relief. Through two games against Atlanta, Ohtani is 2 for 8 with no extra-base hits, no walks and two strikeouts.
That kind of line would usually be too small a sample to make much of anything. But stacked on top of the larger slump and the concern about his knee, it starts to matter.
“I think with Shohei, it's just -- I think, if you look at the at-bats, there's a lot of chase,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after Sunday's 3-2 loss to Atlanta. “I think that it's like -- it's hard to square up, put good swings on balls that are out of the zone. That's kind of what it boils down to.
“Certainly (Chris) Sale is going to be tough because there's a lot of strike to ball, it's high velocity. But just trying to get him back in the hitting zone.”
Roberts was also asked whether Ohtani might be affected at the plate by the knee, and to a lesser extent the biceps.
“I haven't heard anything other than he feels fine. So I don't know if he's trying to do too much because he doesn't feel perfect.
This time of year, everyone doesn't feel -- no one feels perfect. He's doing the best he can.
“Yeah, he'll be in there Game 3, and we've just got to, again, take good at-bats and expect the best.”
Game 3 now shifts to a Braves pitching plan that worked in Game 2, when Walt Weiss used a bullpen game to help set up Chris Sale on full rest for Tuesday’s pivotal matchup. Sale remains as difficult as ever at age 37, and he brings the platoon edge against Ohtani and other left-handed Dodgers hitters. For a batter already fighting through a rough patch, that is a brutal spot to try to break out.
After years of baseball absurdity from Ohtani, it still feels impossible to count him out. But right now, the Dodgers’ leadoff hitter and lineup centerpiece may not be operating at full strength. And that, more than anything else, is the pressure point threatening Los Angeles in this series.
In Other News...
Dodgers Let NLDS Control Slip Away After Another Offensive Letdown
Blake Snells afternoon never found a rhythm, and the Dodgers could not do enough offensively to take advantage of the opening it created. Los Angeles dropped a 3-2 decision to the Braves in Game 2 of the National League Division Series, a result that evened the series at one game apiece and left the Dodgers searching for the timely hit that has been missing too often in October.
Snell issued a season-high five walks, and the game turned on a chaotic stretch that included a wild pitch from Braves reliever Kris Bubic before Atlanta grabbed the go-ahead run. Freddie Freeman also came through for the Braves with a home run, his first since Sept. 2, adding another swing that helped flip the momentum and leave the Dodgers with a split instead of control. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Face A Lineup Decision That Could Test Braves In Game 3
After getting bottled up by the Braves in Game 2 of the National League Division Series, the Dodgers are staring at a familiar October problem: how to jolt an offense that went quiet when it needed to answer back. Atlanta leaned on multiple pitchers to keep Los Angeles in check, and now Dave Roberts is weighing a lineup tweak for Game 3 as the series shifts into a more urgent phase for a team trying to avoid elimination.
The concern centers on center fielder Andy Pages, whose postseason struggles have become hard to ignore, and that has opened the door for Enrique Hernandez to potentially step in and give the lineup a different look. Hernandez has earned a reputation as a reliable October bat, which is part of what makes this decision so interesting for the Dodgers, who need more than just better at-bats now - they need a spark that can change the feel of the series. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Suddenly Face A Real Andy Pages Lineup Dilemma
Andy Pages arrived at October with the kind of profile the Dodgers hoped would translate, but through two postseason games he has not found much traction. He has gone hitless in eight plate appearances, drawing one walk and striking out four times, and the swing-and-miss issues have stood out even more because they are so far above his regular-season norms. For a Dodgers lineup built to keep pressure on opposing pitching, that kind of drop-off from a regular contributor quickly becomes hard to ignore.
Dave Roberts has already made one adjustment by limiting Pages ability to challenge calls, a small but telling sign that the club is trying to manage both the player and the moment. If the struggles continue, the Dodgers do not appear short on alternatives, which only adds to the tension around Pages spot. In October, even a young hitter with legitimate upside can find himself one rough stretch away from a lineup debate. [Read more 🡒]