After moving around the Dodgers lineup through the first three games of the NLCS, Shohei Ohtani was back atop the order for Thursday's Game 4, leading off for Los Angeles in a must-win contest against the Brewers, who are starting left-hander Shane Drohan.
The four-time MVP has struggled this postseason, going 5-for-28 with no homers or RBIs over seven games. Ohtani hit cleanup in Games 1 and 2, before being dropped to sixth for Game 3.
Try as he might to play through right biceps and left knee injuries that have lingered since at least June, Ohtani has not performed to his capabilities for more than two months.
Ohtani went 1-for-2 with a walk in Game 3. In his 35 games prior, including the regular season and postseason, Ohtani was hitting .197 with a .629 OPS. The last time he homered was Aug. 18 at Coors Field, and he has driven in only one run since then. His 110 plate appearances without a home run, including the postseason, are a career high (previously 104 plate appearances from 2022-23).