ATLANTA -- Shohei Ohtani dropped to fifth in the order, one of several lineup tweaks with the Dodgers facing left-hander Chris Sale and the Braves in Game 3 of the NL Division Series on Tuesday night at Truist Park with the series tied 1-1.
The last time that Ohtani started in the five-hole or lower was Sept. 23, 2020, while he was with the Angels. Ohtani had previously only started in the first or second spot for the Dodgers.
When manager Dave Roberts discussed the lineup change with Ohtani, the superstar made a tongue-in-cheek -- and self-aware -- comment about his performance of late.
"He said, 'I was going to come to you in September and say, why don't you hit me seventh?'" Roberts said. "My point being, he wants to do whatever will help the team. So I feel good about this today. And it's nothing as a sign of what's more to come. It's just for today specifically."
Ohtani entered Tuesday hitting 3-for-15 (.200) with a double, a walk and five strikeouts against Sale.
Other notable changes for the Dodgers included starting Miguel Rojas at second base over Tommy Edman and Kiké Hernández at third over Max Muncy. L.A. stacked its right-handed hitters higher in an effort to counteract Sale.
"Runs are going to be hard to come by," Roberts said. "We all understand that. Sale's going to be tough. But the guys I feel at the top have a good chance to get on base, and I do think that there's going to be opportunities where the game, the situation, bleeds into Shohei's at-bat."
Here is the full lineup:
1. Mookie Betts, SS
2. Freddie Freeman, 1B
3. Teoscar Hernández, LF
4. Will Smith, C
5. Shohei Ohtani, DH
6. Miguel Rojas, 2B
7. Andy Pages, CF
8. Kyle Tucker, RF
9. Kiké Hernández, 3B
Game 3 is a matchup of aces, Sale and Yoshinobu Yamamoto -- and a rematch of the Braves' and Dodgers' final regular-season meeting on Aug. 27. Yamamoto allowed a leadoff homer and nothing else across 6 1/3 innings, but he was outdueled by Sale, who tossed a shutout on 109 pitches.
Tuesday's contest comes with higher stakes, as the loser will be at risk of elimination in Game 4 on Wednesday. So Roberts acted with urgency with his lineup configuration.
Ohtani hit 2-for-8 in the first two games of the NLDS, but he's chasing pitches outside the zone at a 42.9% clip (nine swings on 20 pitches out of the zone), up from 30% in the regular season. The swing decisions may partially be a product of his overall rust, as Ohtani appeared in just eight games in September due to an IL stint to manage lingering right biceps and left knee injuries.
Even if Ohtani is not quite right -- both physically and with his swing -- the Dodgers still expect him to take quality at-bats and not allow the Braves to expand the zone, which he has not done with consistency thus far.
"They're going to expand as much as you're going to let them," Roberts said. "I think, for me, it's just clear that they're trying to stay away until he kind of shows some more restraint. So I think he understands that it's more of once you get in the box and how you're going to be able to control your emotions and check down."
Since returning from the IL, Ohtani has led off vs. right-handers and hit second vs. left-handers. As Roberts said, dropping Ohtani to fifth was more about the approach against Sale than any indication of how future lineups might look.
Roberts said he doesn't see Ohtani hitting fifth in Game 4 vs. Braves right-hander Tyler Mahle, but for Game 3, he felt that moving his superstar down was in the Dodgers' best interest.
"I think it's one of those things that it's not a lack of confidence in any player," Roberts said. "It's more of what I feel gives us the best chance to win today. In a short series, that's the mindset that everyone has to have."