Dodgers' Dave Roberts sends direct message to Shohei Ohtani ahead of NLCS vs. Brewers

Hunter Cookston

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Dodgers' Dave Roberts sends direct message to Shohei Ohtani ahead of NLCS vs. Brewers image

The Los Angeles Dodgers are gearing up for the NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers, hoping to go back-to-back for the first time in a long time. Superstar Shohei Ohtani was a major force during the regular season, making history in every way he could. 

“Shohei Ohtani recently broke his own record by hitting his 29th home run at Dodger Stadium this season. His previous record was 28 homers in his first year with L.A. Shohei Ohtani is putting the finishing touches on another unanimous MVP,” DodgersNation’s Doug McKain wrote.

However, the series against the Phillies was a completely different story. Ohtani struggled at the plate and couldn’t seem to find a rhythm — a rare occurrence for the two-way star.

“Ohtani was the focus of every plan of attack for the Philadelphia Phillies, who deployed one left-handed pitcher after another in the National League Division Series. Ohtani had one hit and struck out nine times in 18 at-bats, with 16 of his 20 plate appearances coming against lefties,” The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya wrote.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has issued a challenge to Ohtani, emphasizing the need for improvement heading into the NLCS.

“Certainly, whatever opponent we face, they’re gonna try to put as many lefties on Shohei,” Roberts said. “But hoping that he can do a little self-reflecting on that series. And how aggressive he was outside of the strike zone, passive in the zone — just the at-bat quality needs to get better. We’re counting on a recalibration, getting back into the strike zone and understanding when he faces left-handed pitching what they’re gonna try to do.”

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The Dodgers desperately need Ohtani to regroup and lock in for the remainder of the postseason. There’s no time to continue struggling.

While L.A. relies on Ohtani in multiple ways, their biggest need from him right now is at the plate.

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Hunter Cookston

Hunter Cookston began his career as a sportswriter for the Marion Tribune, where he covered local high school football, basketball and baseball. His passion for sports started at the age of four when he played his first year of tee ball. Growing up in Tennessee, he developed a deep love for the Tennessee Volunteers and Atlanta Braves. Hunter is currently attending Tennessee Wesleyan University, where he is pursuing a BA in Sports Communications/Management.