Dodgers' Dave Roberts Hints at Lineup Changes Ahead of NLDS Game 3 vs Braves

The Los Angeles Dodgers have faced two bullpen games to kick off their National League Division Series battle with the Atlanta Braves.

On Tuesday, things will get much more difficult.

The Dodgers are going up against 10-time All-Star and former Cy Young award winner Chris Sale. The left-hander is coming off a regular season in which he had a 2.16 ERA and 200 strikeouts over 162.2 innings. He then allowed three runs over 6.1 innings in his wild-card Game 1 start, and pitched 1.1 scoreless innings to close out Game 3.

The Dodgers know what they're up against with Sale, one of baseball's best pitchers.

"Chris is going to be tough," Roberts said. "We know we're going to be in for a dogfight."

The difficult lefty matchup also has manager Dave Roberts considering some lineup changes.

“I think so," Roberts said. "I am considering it. I think that’s a very fair question. I think that I have to be mindful of — it’s two games, and then with the two games, what have I seen?”

Roberts mentioned Enrique Hernandez and Miguel Rojas as potential options to be in the lineup. The only Dodgers with any semblance of success against Sale in their careers are Mookie Betts (7-for-18) and Freddie Freeman (5-for-16).

The Dodgers have been especially reliant on the home run this series, with all seven of their runs coming via the long ball.

In Sunday's Game 2, they went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

Sale faced the Dodgers on Aug. 27, firing a complete-game shutout with 11 strikeouts and just five hits allowed.

Dave Roberts Considering Moving Shohei Ohtani Down in the Lineup

The Dodgers have plenty of players struggling in the lineup, including Will Smith (0-for-8), Andy Pages (0-for-7) and Tommy Edman (0-for-5).

At the top of the lineup, however, is Shohei Ohtani, who is 2-for-8 with two singles and two strikeouts. He's looked far from his usual self.

"I think there's, like we've talked about, he's not 100%," Roberts said on Monday. "But at the end of the day, he can still do a better job of staying in the strike zone. ... I think that's something that — it's hard to have success when you're out of the zone. ... And Shohei understands, any hitter understands that. So I think that's the thing is — then the question is how do we get him into it? I think there's a little bit of trying to do too much. I think that's a piece."

Roberts said he's open to moving Ohtani down in the lineup, especially with the tough left-hander on the mound.

However, he wouldn't commit to anything on Monday.

"Going further than [No. 2]? I'm open to it," Roberts said. "It's something that, if I do, I would obviously have the conversation with Shohei to explain why. And at the end of the day, every conversation I've had with him is, whatever is best for the team, he's all in on.”

For what it's worth, Ohtani is 3-for-15 against Sale in his career with five strikeouts.

"At the end of the day, our guys are our guys," Roberts said. "And, yeah, I can tweak a lineup. I can kind of insert, take out a player or two. But at the end of the day we still have got to go out there and play and execute and take good at-bats."

Add us as a preferred source on Google