""I don't think it has to," Roberts said. "I think ideally, how we run things, we like to give a run of show for certain things, roles, before you do it in the postseason. But he has done it before in the (World Baseball) Classic. "In the postseason, there's a lot of things that happen that are unforeseen.""
"As unprecedented as this move would be, there is also a certain level of risk attached to it. If Ohtani starts the game, as he has been across his last 12 appearances on the bump, he can still freely bat even after he is taken out of the game. If Ohtani starts the game as a hitter and later enters in relief, he wouldn't be able to stay as a batter after being replaced on the mound. With the kind of production Ohtani has been displaying lately, the Dodgers would have to ensure that Ohtani's spot in the order wouldn't come up again if this were the case."
The Dodgers currently view Shohei Ohtani as a starter for the postseason but acknowledge the role could change later. The team prefers defined roles and a regular run of show before making postseason adjustments, yet past relief use in the World Baseball Classic shows flexibility for unforeseen events. Using Ohtani in relief carries roster and lineup risks because a hitter who later pitches cannot remain in the batting order after being replaced on the mound. Offensively, Ohtani has hit .333 with a 1.163 OPS, four home runs, eight RBIs and a stolen base since September 1. On the mound, he allowed six earned runs across his last 12.2 innings, with 17 strikeouts and three walks, creating a trade-off between his recent hitting production and inconsistent recent pitching results.
Read at Dodgers Nation
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]