Ohtani Stays in Dodgers Lineup as Brewers Lead NLCS

Shohei Ohtani will remain in the Dodgers' starting lineup for NLCS Game 3, manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday. Los Angeles trails Milwaukee two games to none, and Ohtani enters the game with three hits in 20 postseason at bats. His starting plan is settled in the reporting. His production and reported knee and biceps symptoms are separate questions. [1] [2] The series moves to Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, October 14, with first pitch scheduled for 8 PM Eastern, 5 PM Pacific. Milwaukee lists Robert Gasser as its starter against Blake Snell. Both are left handed. The useful preview is more specific than a Dodgers comeback narrative: look at what those pitchers have actually done, the choices against them and the relief work already behind each club. [1] Ohtani Starts, but the Symptoms Still Matter Roberts' announcement followed discussion about sitting Ohtani after Game 2. CBS Sports reports that the manager spoke with him and decided to keep him in the lineup. Ohtani said his symptoms had reduced, but described his swing adjustments as a daily process. Neither statement establishes that the injuries have disappeared. [2] MLB identifies the lingering issues as his right biceps and left knee. Its preview places him fourth in a projected Dodgers order, behind Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernández, with Will Smith fifth. The section is explicitly about what the lineups might look like. That makes the manager's intention to start Ohtani stronger evidence than treating the entire listed batting order as a final lineup card. [1] The performance sample also needs its proper scope. Three hits in 20 at bats is his postseason line, not a full season measure. CBS separately reports one hit in eight NLCS plate appearances. Those are different denominators, and neither tells us exactly how the symptoms affect his next swing. The reports establish injuries and poor recent results together; they do not isolate how much of the slump each injury caused. [1] [2] Freeman is also managing a right knee issue, according to MLB. So this isn't simply a choice between one injured hitter and an otherwise fully healthy lineup. The available reporting gives the Dodgers' current plan and the known symptoms, without quantifying a game specific restriction for either player. [1] The Starter Samples Tell Different Stories Gasser's recent run is a two win, zero loss record and a 1.73 ERA over seven appearances, six of them starts, including NLDS Game 4. Calling that seven starts would change the sample. Calling it his season ERA would change it again. MLB traces the run to August 26, when he relieved Dustin May after May was hit by a comebacker on the first pitch. Gasser began the season at Triple A Nashville. [1] Milwaukee has not settled its Game 4 starter in this preview. Length from Gasser would help arrange the stretch in Los Angeles, but no innings requirement or pitch limit is supplied. His recent effectiveness is relevant background, not evidence that the Brewers can assign a fixed amount of relief work before the game begins. [1] Snell's highlighted number is a 2.19 ERA in five starts at Dodger Stadium during 2026, postseason included. That is a home venue sample, not the same kind of recent run quoted for Gasser. Comparing the two ERAs without their labels would make unlike samples look interchangeable. [1] His previous postseason outing offers a more concrete tension. Snell walked five batters in three and two thirds innings against Atlanta in NLDS Game 2, yet allowed only one run. The run total alone would hide the walks and short outing. The walks alone would hide the actual scoring result. MLB also notes that shoulder, elbow and groin injuries limited his season workload, without giving a current Game 3 restriction. [1] The left handed matchup creates a lineup choice for Milwaukee too. Pat Murphy started Andrew Vaughn at designated hitter instead of Christian Yelich in Game 1 against Tarik Skubal, then said he planned to start Yelich the rest of the way. MLB projects Yelich at DH for Game 3. That's a reported manager preference, not a reason to replace the eventual team sheet with an assumed platoon rule. [1] Strong Relief Results Come With Workload Milwaukee's relievers have a combined 0.31 postseason ERA across 28 and two thirds innings. Abner Uribe appeared in all six postseason games and Aaron Ashby in five. Neither allowed an earned run in that stretch. Trevor Megill warmed up in Game 2 but did not enter. Those details distinguish excellent past results from the work each pitcher has already done. [1] Los Angeles used seven of its nine relievers in Game 2 after a short start from Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The off day before Game 3 offered rest, but it doesn't establish every arm's availability or erase the earlier workload. MLB describes Edwin Díaz as the primary high leverage option, potentially before the ninth inning. A bullpen view based only on a closer's usual inning would miss that flexibility. [1] SBA Takeaway The verified change is that Roberts plans to start Ohtani. The sharper matchup context is Gasser's recent seven appearance run, Snell's five walks despite one run allowed in his previous outing and two bullpens with different workload patterns. None supplies a current betting price or an automatic side. This preview has verified no sportsbook quote. The final batting orders can clarify selection, but the reported symptoms, sample sizes and relief work still deserve their own reading. Sources - [1] MLB: Brewers and Dodgers NLCS Game 3 FAQ - [2] CBS Sports: Ohtani to remain in Game 3 lineup Related Reading - Dodgers Beat Braves 4 to 1 and Set Brewers NLCS Rematch - MLB’s Playoff Rule Reset: No Automatic Runner, but Two ABS Challenges - Yankees Without Judge: Verify Rays ALDS Game 2