Dodgers Drop Ohtani to Fifth as Yamamoto Faces Sale in NLDS Game 3

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shook up his batting order for Tuesday night's pivotal NLDS Game 3 against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park, dropping Shohei Ohtani to fifth as Yoshinobu Yamamoto took the mound opposite Braves ace Chris Sale with the best-of-five series tied 1-1.

Why Roberts Benched Ohtani Down the Order

When Sale shut out Yamamoto and the Dodgers 1-0 in late August, Ohtani went hitless in four at-bats, and for his career he is just 3-for-15 with no homers against the Braves left-hander. Ohtani entered Tuesday hitting just 3-for-15 with a double, a walk and five strikeouts against Sale specifically.

The No. 5 spot is the lowest Ohtani has hit since 2020 with the Angels, a dramatic departure for a hitter who had previously only started at the top of the Dodgers' order. Ohtani had batted second in the Braves' 3-2 win at Los Angeles that tied the series on Sunday night.

Roberts explained the thinking behind stacking right-handed bats ahead of his superstar. "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." Roberts said he discussed the move with Ohtani on Monday night and the four-time MVP «completely understood».

A Pitching Duel Worthy of the Moment

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, when Sale threw a complete-game shutout, allowing five hits and striking out 11 for his first CGSO since 2019.

Dodgers Lineup for Game 3

Los Angeles went with Mookie Betts at shortstop leading off, followed by Freddie Freeman at first, Teoscar Hernández in left, Will Smith catching, Ohtani at designated hitter, Miguel Rojas at second, Andy Pages in center and Kyle Tucker in right, with Kiké Hernández starting at third in place of Max Muncy. Rojas started at second over Tommy Edman and Kiké Hernández started at third over Max Muncy, as L.A. stacked its right-handed hitters higher to counteract Sale.

Braves Lineup for Game 3

Atlanta countered with Drake Baldwin catching, Ronald Acuña Jr. at designated hitter, Matt Olson at first, Ozzie Albies at second, Michael Harris II in center, Mauricio Dubón in left, Lane Thomas in right, Austin Riley at third and Ha-Seong Kim at shortstop.

What's at Stake for the Three-Peat Dream

The Dodgers and Braves had split the first two games of the series, pushing the action to Atlanta, where Los Angeles needed at least one win to avoid a disappointing early exit from the MLB Playoffs. The Dodgers took Game 1 behind a power surge, as detailed in SportVoz's recap of the series opener, before Atlanta responded to even things up, a turnaround chronicled in the piece on how the Braves tied the NLDS.

Beyond the lineup shuffle, the Dodgers have also been quietly adjusting their pitching depth. The team activated reliever Edgardo Henriquez from the 15-day injured list, a move that could be a boost to the bullpen as Los Angeles leans on its relief corps in a series defined by close, low-scoring games. For more on the opponent chasing a pennant, see SportVoz's coverage of the Atlanta Braves.

How to Watch Game 3 and What Comes Next

Game 3 pit the No. 2 seed Dodgers against the No. 3 seed Braves at Truist Park in Atlanta, with the series tied 1-1. First pitch was scheduled for 6 p.m. ET on FS1, with the winner moving within one victory of the NLCS.

Whatever happens Tuesday, the series continues quickly. NLDS Game 4 is set for Wednesday at 6 p.m. ET on FS1/FOX Deportes/FOX One, meaning there will be almost no time to dwell on the outcome of Ohtani's latest lineup experiment before the Dodgers and Braves are back on the field fighting for a trip to the NLCS.