The dynamic duo of Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani powered the top of the Los Angeles Dodgers' lineup to World Series championships in 2024 and 2025. The pair's offensive struggles this postseason — neither has an extra-base hit or an RBI through six games — grows harder to ignore by the day.
Betts' .385 on-base percentage and baserunning IQ makes him more of an asset than a liability in the leadoff spot. Ohtani, meanwhile, is a shell of his former self — and fans don't need to dial back the clock 12 months to recall visions of peak Ohtani.
In his first 121 games of the season through Aug. 18, Ohtani was slashing .294/.390/.558 with 30 home runs — a 40-homer pace over a full season. Injuries to his biceps, knee and neck sent him to the injured list on Sept. 8, but only after weeks of trying to play through the ailments and giving up on pitching.
Over his final 18 regular season games (13 before the IL stint, five afterward), Ohtani slashed .157/.289/.214. The Dodgers were hoping that time off during the wild-card round would help Ohtani heal enough to round back in to shape, at least in part. It hasn't happened.
Ohtani is 3-for-20 with three walks and seven strikeouts in six postseason games, including 1-for-7 in the National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers. Fans aren't the only one who notice the stark difference.
"It's hard to see," Betts said of Ohtani's struggles, via ESPN. "He's working, and hopefully he gets out of it. We know he's working. Yeah, that's a big one. We need him for sure."
The Dodgers might not give him the chance to get out of it. Manager Dave Roberts is reportedly considering pulling him from the lineup for Game 3 of the NLCS on Wednesday in Los Angeles.
A strong game by Josue De Paula, or any other Ohtani replacement, might relegate him to the bench for Game 4, too.
"It's tough," Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez said. "We obviously need [Ohtani's] help. He's a big, big part of this team, and it's really important. And just like, you know, I feel bad for him. I know what he's capable of. He's been dealing with some stuff in the past. We don't know if it's still there. But it's Shohei. Any moment, he can come through."
"We're all still behind him," added Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy. "He knows we're all still behind him. He's gonna get a big hit for us. I know that. I can tell you right now he's gonna get a big hit for us at some point, and that's gonna turn things."
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