ATLANTA -- Shohei Ohtani dropped to fifth in the order, one of several lineup tweaks as the Dodgers gear up to face 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 at 1.
The last time that Ohtani started in the five-hole or lower was Sept. 23, 2020, while he was with the Angels.
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.
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 manager Dave 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, which he has not done with consistency thus far.
"It's hard to have success when you're out of the zone," Roberts said Tuesday. "And Shohei understands, any hitter understands that. … I think there's a little bit of trying to do too much. I think that's a piece."