Shohei Ohtani is pencilled into the sixth spot in the Los Angeles Dodgers' lineup when they face the Milwaukee Brewers in Wednesday night's Game 3 of the National League Championship Series, following a stretch of at-bats that have produced little offence.

Ohtani's batting figures from the left side of the plate have settled at their lowest point across his three seasons under the 10-year, $700 million contract he entered into with the Dodgers — a threshold his left-handed production had not previously reached during that stretch. Manager Dave Roberts moved Ohtani, who fills the designated hitter role, down the batting order in response to a period of poor form that has carried over from the regular season into the playoffs.

Roberts indicated beforehand that mixing left- and right-handed batters at various spots in the order was the plan against Milwaukee left-hander Robert Gasser, adding that Ohtani was fully on board with whatever arrangement gave the team its best chance — a notable consideration given that Los Angeles finds itself down two games to none in the series.

Knee trouble on his left side and a biceps problem on his right had been affecting Ohtani for several months, and ahead of the National League Division Series he noted that he was not at full health. Of the 19 outings in which Ohtani batted in the sixth spot or below during his time with the Los Angeles Angels, every one fell within the 2020 campaign or the years preceding it — none came later across his six-season tenure there.

Across his six postseason appearances, Ohtani has collected three hits in 20 at-bats, a .150 average, with his plate approach drawing notice. Seven strikeouts and three walks appear on his ledger, along with a stolen base, while home runs and RBIs are absent and his OPS sits at .411. His most recent home run dated to Aug. 18 against Colorado.

Mookie Betts said before the game that carrying the weight of expectations Ohtani shoulders — and then falling short by his own elevated standards — would press hard on any player, and that returning to contribute in the postseason, given how central he is to the roster, added another layer to an already demanding situation. Roberts pointed to an off-day batting session on Tuesday as evidence of a noticeably sharper focus, saying Ohtani had stayed late the night before to work through his swing and had been talking with teammates about approaches for handling the opposing pitching staff.

Tyler Glasnow, set to start Game 4 on Thursday, said Ohtani's demeanour tends to hold steady no matter how individual at-bats unfold, and that most players in a comparable position would show far more visible emotional variation. Glasnow also noted that Ohtani does not appear to draw on outside reassurance to maintain that steadiness, describing self-assurance as a defining trait of his.