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Shohei Ohtani wants to play on Wednesday, so Shohei Ohtani will play.
Like he has the entire season.
Anyone who was gullible enough to think Dodgers would actually bench Ohtani against the Milwaukee Brewers in the Game 3 of the National League Championship Series wasn’t paying attention, both to how they have treated their star player and the other options they have on their roster.
About the only surprising element of the Dodgers’ choice to continue playing an obviously-compromised Ohtani were the preposterous stories that were told to justify the decision.
The debate over whether the Dodgers should bench a physically-compromised Ohtani ignores a sobering reality: Their other candidates to step in to be their designated hitter won’t dramatically improve their chances of reversing their two-games-to-none deficit against the Brewers.
The Dodgers aren’t in serious trouble because Ohtani was their designated hitter instead of Josue De Paula in the first two games of this series.
They’re in trouble because Ohtani isn’t healthy.
Ohtani had his worst performance of these playoffs in Game 2, when he was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts on which he looked completely overmatched. But Ohtani reached base in every one of his previous five games. The Dodgers weren’t about to exclude him from their lineup because he couldn’t draw a walk or poke a ball into the outfield in one game.
The widespread curiosity to see what De Paula could do over four at-bats in a single game is entirely understandable, as the 21-year-old is the best offensive prospect to break into the team in recent years.
However, the quality of pitching in the playoffs is much higher than it is in the regular season, and it would be extremely naive to think De Paula could be productive against the same Brewers pitchers who have shut down the likes of Freddie Freeman.
Considering Ohtani’s deteriorated state, De Paula is certainly more likely to run into a pitch and send it over the wall. But will he reach base as often? Probably not.
By their actions, the Dodgers have shown they don’t trust De Paula on the basepaths, even though he stole 31 bases in the minor leagues. De Paula has drawn two pinch-hit walks this postseason. Both times, he was immediately replaced by a pinch-runner.
What were the other alternatives?
With left-hander Robert Gasser starting for the Brewers in Game 3, the Dodgers could have theoretically started Miguel Rojas at third base in place of the left-handed-hitting Max Muncy and deployed Kiké Hernández as the designated hitter.
That would be tantamount to replacing Ohtani in the order with Rojas, which would be completely mad, no matter how much the four-time Most Valuable Player is diminished.
But rather than simply say that Ohtani remained their best option, the Dodgers made the ridiculous claim that he was about to break out offensively. Nevermind that Ohtani last homered on Aug. 18, that his only three hits in these playoffs were all singles, or that manager Dave Roberts said just a day earlier that he would consider removing from the lineup.
“He feels like he’s close to finding something and was close yesterday in finding something mechanically,” Roberts said.
Really? What made him think that?
His three-pitch strikeout against Logan Henderson in which he was overwhelmed by fastballs that were clocked at 93.9, 94.3 and 94.6 mph?
Or his other strikeout in which left-hander JoJo Romero tricked him into reaching for a sweeper that ended up in the batter’s box on the other side of home plate?
When asked about his health, Ohtani was even more guarded than usual, blaming his month-long slump on his mechanics rather than anything physical.
“If I’m asked why, I can only say it’s because of my ability,” Ohtani said in Japanese.
Before he was placed on the injured list last month, Ohtani was known to be dealing with discomfort in his right arm and left knee, as well as his right hip.
In his final at-bat of Game 3 of the NL Division Series, Ohtani grimaced and reached for the area by his waist and lower back. Asked if that part of the body was bothering him, Ohtani replied, “Not in particular.”
Roberts at least acknowledged Ohtani was dealing with physical problems.
“It’s everything,” Roberts said. “It’s the upper body. It’s the knee.”
Those were probably the only true words that were spoken.