Dodgers' Dave Roberts gets honest about Shohei Ohtani's postseason slump

Jared Bloom

Dodgers' Dave Roberts gets honest about Shohei Ohtani's postseason slump image

Jiji Press

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani was an offensive force during the regular season. He played in 158 games, hitting 282/.392/.622 with a career high 55 home runs and 102 runs batted in. 

He was relied on heavily to get things going for the club at times, but that has not been the case for much of the postseason. Ohtani is struggling in the NLCS and did not contribute much in the NLDS either. 

During the NLDS against the Philadelphia Phillies, Ohtani went 1-for-18, and through two games of the NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers, he is 1-for-7. 

Dodgers' Dave Roberts gets honest about Shohei Ohtani's slump

Ohtani knows he is in a slump and is doing his best to break out of it. He has started to take batting practice outside recently, compared to taking BP inside using the high-velocity machines. 

Dave Roberts, who played 10 years in the league, understands the frustrations of an offensive slump better than most. When asked if Ohtani was showing signs of irritation, he was honest with his answer, via Dodgers Nation.

"Yeah, I think that's fair, and I think that's expected. I don't mind it. I like the edge. He's obviously a very, very talented player, and we're counting on him."

Roberts takes no issue with Ohtani showing his frustration because he knows he is doing all he can to break out of it. If Ohtani can turn things around offensively, it may spell disaster for the rest of the teams in the postseason. The Dodgers are rolling, and they are doing it without a big contribution from one of their best players.

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Jared Bloom

Jared Bloom is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He graduated from Judson University, and his love for baseball has led him to cover all aspects of MLB.