Dodgers Have Bigger Issues Than One Batting Order Decision

The topic of conversation throughout Los Angeles on Tuesday was whether a certain Dodgers player should be in the starting lineup Wednesday night as the club returns home trailing the Milwaukee Brewers, 0-2, in the National League Championship Series and in desperate need of a victory.

Radio, television, grocery stores, barbershops and just about every other gathering place in town were abuzz with opinions about what the Dodgers should do with Shohei Ohtani. Some wanted him in the lineup, some wanted him to sit, and others were questioning whether anyone in the organization was willing to make a difficult decision involving the biggest star in the game.

Meanwhile, a bevy of other issues surrounding the Dodgers seemed to be taking a back seat to the Ohtani debate, which is understandable given his stature but hardly excuses the questions that remain unanswered elsewhere on the roster.

Start with Roki Sasaki, who was allowed to pitch just one inning in Monday's Game 2 loss despite retiring the side in the fourth on 14 pitches without allowing a run. Sasaki was once viewed as a potential starter, and while his transition to the bullpen has given the Dodgers another option, it is fair to wonder why a pitcher capable of handling a starter's workload was limited to one inning after delivering a clean frame.

The Dodgers eventually turned to Kris Bubic, who surrendered William Contreras' game-tying home run as Milwaukee began to take control. Perhaps there was a specific reason for removing Sasaki, and the coaching staff may have information unavailable to the public, but the decision deserves scrutiny when every out carries postseason consequences.

And please, spare us the automatic explanation about right-handed and left-handed matchups. These are major-league pitchers facing major-league hitters in October. Matchups matter, certainly, but they should not become a substitute for trusting a pitcher who is getting the job done.

That brings us to Bubic, whose role in these games raises another question. He arrived as a reclamation project after a stint on the 60-day injured list and was regarded as a low-risk gamble. Now he is being entrusted with high-leverage postseason innings, and the results have not exactly inspired confidence.

Bubic has appeared in two games during the 2026 postseason, allowing two earned runs in 1⅓ innings for a 13.50 ERA. A small sample does not tell the entire story of a pitcher, and the Dodgers obviously saw something they liked when they brought him into the fold. But there is a difference between taking a chance on a pitcher and asking him to navigate the most unforgiving situations of the season. With the series slipping away, the Dodgers need their best available options in the biggest moments. How they determine who those options are remains a legitimate question.

Then there is Kyle Tucker, who continues to find himself buried near the bottom of the batting order despite giving the Dodgers something they desperately need: traffic on the bases. Tucker has reached base consistently throughout the postseason, hitting .300 with a .417 on-base percentage, and he has stolen two bases in two attempts.

During the regular season, he went 12-for-12 in stolen-base attempts. Nobody is suggesting Tucker is Maury Wills reincarnated, but a hitter who reaches base and can turn a single or a walk into a scoring threat should be more than an afterthought in the lineup.

The Dodgers need energy, pressure and opportunities at the top of the order, particularly with the offense struggling to cash in its chances. Moving Tucker into the third spot behind Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman deserves serious consideration, while Will Smith could move down to sixth or seventh until he gets his swing back. Smith has earned considerable respect for what he has done over the years, but reputations do not collect hits in October.

Tucker did not justify his enormous contract with his early-season performance, and nobody is suggesting otherwise. He began to come around late in the year, however, and his current production gives the Dodgers a reason to use him where he can do the most damage.

And now we arrive at the player who has dominated the conversation. Ohtani will be the Dodgers' designated hitter Wednesday night, with manager Dave Roberts confirming the decision Tuesday after discussing the matter with his superstar. Roberts said Ohtani was convinced he was making progress mechanically and believed he could help the club win.

The manager's response was that, in this big moment, the Dodgers were listening to Shohei and would “support the crap out of him.” It is an understandable expression of faith in a player whose extraordinary accomplishments have helped define the franchise. It also leaves a question that has become increasingly difficult to ignore: where does supporting a superstar end and independent managerial judgment begin?

Nobody is suggesting the Dodgers should abandon Ohtani because he is struggling. Great players go through slumps, and a hitter's history of success does not disappear because he has a difficult stretch at the plate. But Ohtani has managed just three hits in 20 postseason at-bats, with no extra-base hits, seven strikeouts and no runs batted in. He has also acknowledged that he has not been completely healthy, dealing with right biceps and left knee issues.

Those facts do not establish precisely what is affecting his swing, and they do not mean he cannot break out of his slump Wednesday. They do, however, make it reasonable to ask whether he is currently giving the Dodgers their best chance to win. The distinction matters. Believing in Ohtani and objectively evaluating his readiness are not mutually exclusive responsibilities.

That is where the discussion moves beyond one player's batting average. Roberts is the manager, and his job is to put the best possible team on the field. The front office is responsible for constructing the roster and establishing the environment in which those decisions are made. If Roberts believes Ohtani is ready, he should be able to explain that judgment. If the manager has reservations but feels compelled to play him because of the player's stature, that would raise a different set of questions.

There is no public evidence establishing that Roberts has surrendered his authority or that the organization has ordered him to play Ohtani, so it would be unfair to present either as fact. Still, the perception that a superstar operates under a different set of rules is a problem in its own right, particularly when the team is trailing two games to none and its margin for error has all but disappeared.

The Dodgers have plenty to discuss beyond Ohtani's place in Wednesday's lineup. They need better decisions from the bullpen, more effective use of the pitchers who are getting outs, a batting order that reflects current production and an offense capable of doing something with runners on base.

Those issues will not disappear if Ohtani hits a home run, just as they will not be resolved by sitting him for one game. The organization can support its biggest star while still demanding accountability from everyone involved, from the manager's office to the batter's box.

As for Wednesday, the decision has been made. Ohtani will be in the lineup, and the Dodgers will need him, along with everyone else, to produce. Fans can argue until they are Dodger Blue in the face about whether it is the right call, but the conversation should not end there. The more pressing question is whether the Dodgers have learned anything from the first two games and whether the people making the decisions are prepared to act on it.

Because at 0-2, there is no longer much room for sentiment, reputations or reassuring quotes. There is a baseball game to win, and the Dodgers are running out of time to prove they know how.