How Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani problem could lead to postseason elimination

How Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani problem could lead to postseason elimination originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Los Angeles Dodgers are tied with the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS at 1-1 heading into Game 3 in Atlanta. For this Dodgers team, they have to win a game on the road to stay alive in this postseason.

While the back-to-back World Series champions should have the trust of the fan base right now, there is a lingering concern about one player who could completely change the tide of this series.

As Buster Olney of ESPN highlighted, the problems with Shohei Ohtani for the Dodgers are very apparent. Things are so worrisome that Ohtani struggling for the Dodgers might actually lead to Los Angeles getting eliminated from the postseason.

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“And Ohtani, also trying to rebound from injury, looks off-balance,” Olney writes. “One veteran MLB hitting guru noted that his mechanics now look like Bryce Harper’s in those stretches when Harper has struggled.”

Ohtani is struggling right now for the Dodgers, which isn’t a huge surprise considering he’s coming off a stint on the injured list right before the postseason started.

But his performance since returning from the IL should have the Dodgers worried. This hitting guru said of Ohtani, “He’s got his butt in the first-base dugout.”

Unfortunately for Ohtani, his biggest test will come in a pivotal, potentially series-defining Game 3 in Atlanta, as the Braves will send out dominant left-handed Chris Sale to face the Dodgers’ lineup.

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Ohtani will have a tough time against Sale, enough so that it might not be a surprise if the Dodgers DH plays poorly enough to cost the Dodgers a chance at winning in Game 3 of this series.

It obviously won’t be all his fault, but considering how much he means to this team, his struggles lately could be a major catalyst for why this Dodgers team is eliminated.

But if he can figure things out, then Ohtani could carry this team to the NLCS, if not the World Series, for a chance at a three-peat.

Ohtani means so much to this team that where he goes, the Dodgers go. With his struggles recently, and the other blemishes on this Dodgers team, there’s some real concern about their chances in the NLDS this season.

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