Worldwide Sports News

As the Dodgers mull potential lineup changes for Game 3 of the National League Division Series, manager Dave Roberts said he is “open” to moving Shohei Ohtani lower in the batting order.

In his three seasons with the Dodgers, Ohtani has batted first or second in every game he has started. However, as he has admitted he is trying to “manage” in the aftermath of knee and arm injuries, and as Roberts has acknowledged Ohtani is “not 100%,” the lack of success could compel the manager to replace him at the top of the lineup with a more productive hitter at some point.

“I would,” Roberts said Monday. “I would. I think it’s something that, you know, I think moving him from 1 to 2 — but going further than that? I’m open to it.

“And 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’s best for the team, he’s all-in on. So I know that undoubtedly.”

Read more:Swanson: Ailing Shohei Ohtani providing only a wasted at-bat for Dodgers in NLDS

The Dodgers are batting .215 through the first two games of the NLDS, with the Atlanta Braves scheduled to pitch left-handed ace Chris Sale in Game 3 on Tuesday. If the Dodgers lose, they would need to win back-to-back elimination games to advance beyond this series.

Roberts said the lineup changes he would consider include starting Kiké Hernández and Miguel Rojas, both of whom hit well against left-handers. That could mean infielders Max Muncy (0 for 7 against Sale, with five strikeouts) and Tommy Edman (0 for 11 against Sale) might not start.

Center fielder Andy Pages, who batted so poorly last October he was benched for the final three games of the World Series, is hitless in seven at-bats in this series, with four strikeouts.

“I’m gonna continue to give Andy leash,” Roberts said. “I believe in him. I feel that for us to win the World Series this year, we’re gonna need him to be an active part of our team.

Roberts said he did not envision benching catcher Will Smith, who is 0 for 8 in the series. The Dodgers’ backup catcher, Hunter Feduccia, is a career .205 hitter with no postseason experience.

But, even with the Dodgers’ star-studded lineup, the spotlight shines brightest on Ohtani.

Ohtani has not homered since Aug. 18. He hit .157 between then and the end of the regular season, striking out in 41% of his at-bats. In this series, he has two hits and two strikeouts in eight at-bats, and his inability to refrain from swinging at pitches outside the strike zone has become a glaring weakness.

“He’s not 100%,” Roberts said. “But, at the end of the day, he can still do a better job of staying in the strike zone.”

Ohtani hasn’t given the Braves a reason to challenge him within the strike zone.

“Everything orbits around Shohei, in the sense of his talent,” Roberts said. “And the Braves are going to enter with caution. And, so, knowing that, they’re going to continue to expand as long as we keep giving that to them. So until we show some discipline, they’re going to continue to kind of use that playbook.”

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

ST. PETERSBURG, FL – The New York Yankees' Spencer Jones hit the ball into the roof at Tropicana Field in the second inning of Game 2 of the AL Division Series on Monday night. It came down in a glove. 

That's an out at the Trop, even after it hits the ceiling. 

Four catwalks ring the inside of the dome, labeled A through D from highest to lowest. They hold up the roof, along with the lights and speakers, and the hang over the field. 

The ground rules split them in two. A fair ball that hits either of the lower rings, C or D, is a home run. A fair ball that hits either of the upper rings A or B is in play. If it drops, it's a live ball. If a fielder catches it, the batter is out. 

That's what happened to Jones. It hit the B ring and Victor Mesa Jr. caught it. 

Spencer Jones' flyout hits the catwalk pic.twitter.com/a6eDNHob10

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) October 6, 2026

This time, there was little hubbub, a stark difference from Game 1 of the NL Division Series, when the San Diego Padres' Ty France hit the roof of Milwaukee's American Family Field with one out in the bottom of the ninth, a runner on and the Padres trailing the Brewers 3-2. The ball ricocheted off a beam and was caught by left fielder Jackson Chourio for the second out.

The Padres moderately protested, but the ruling was in line with ground rules in Milwaukee, leaving it a mystery whether France's 105.3 mph fly, hit at a 49-degree launch angle, would have been a home run had it completed its flight unimpeded.

In this ALDS, there was no controversy. At least not for now.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Yankees hit the roof at Tropicana Field - and it's just another out

ATLANTA –– The Dodgers don’t want to overreact to a two-game sample size.

But, with elimination all of a sudden just two games away, they don’t want to wait too long to make changes either.

That’s what dynamic manager Dave Roberts was grappling with on Monday, as the Dodgers gathered at Truist Park in Atlanta ahead of Game 3 of their National League Division Series against the Braves.

A daunting challenge awaits on Tuesday night, when the club will face Braves ace Chris Sale for the first time since he threw a complete-game shutout against them in August.

Thus, even though the team’s quest for a World Series three-peat just began, potential lineup changes were already under consideration.

And even superstar Shohei Ohtani might not be immune.

“I am considering [changes],” Roberts said. “I think that’s a very fair question.”

That didn’t mean Roberts was ready to commit to any significant alterations ahead of a pivotal Game 3, with the best-of-five series tied one game apiece.

He noted the danger of reading too far into small playoff sample sizes this early in the postseason.

Still, he said there were things he was “thinking through” and “possibly kind of some changes” that could be enacted on Tuesday.

One possibility: Inserting Miguel Rojas and/or Kiké Hernández into lineup, perhaps in place of Max Muncy and/or Tommy Edman, to give the Dodgers extra right-handed bats against a dominant left-hander in Sale. 

Another, more notable potential option: Moving Ohtani even further down the order from his current No. 2 spot, after he went just 2-for-8 in the first two games of the NLDS while continuing to battle right arm and left knee injuries.

“[We already moved] him from 1 to 2 –– but going further than that? 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.”

The explanation, of course, wouldn’t be too complicated.

In Ohtani’s currently diminished physical state, he has simply not been the same presence at the top of the order that the Dodgers have grown accustomed to from the four-time MVP.

“Like we’ve talked about, he’s not 100%,” Roberts said. 

But also, “I think there’s a little bit of [him also] trying to do too much,” Roberts added. “I think that’s a piece.”

Indeed, Ohtani has suffered from a futile combination so far in the playoffs, failing to either punish pitches over the plate or keep from chasing out of the strike zone. 

“It’s hard to have success when you’re out of the zone,” Roberts said. “So I think that’s the thing, then the question is: How do we get him [attacking pitches back] into it?”

A change of mindset could help, especially against a premium pitcher like Sale (who has held Ohtani to a 3-for-15 mark with five strikeouts and only one double in their career head-to-head matchups).

“Trying to chase slug tomorrow night might not be the right plan, given the starter,” Roberts said.

Instead, Roberts pointed to the opposite-field single Ohtani slapped past a shift for his lone hit in Sunday’s Game 2 loss.

“That at-bat yesterday, the block base hit the other way, that’s something that is production,” Roberts said. “I think that’s something where, against a guy like Chris Sale, it gives you a chance.”

The Dodgers, of course, would love to get more pop from Ohtani, who led the team with eight home runs during last year’s World Series trek. Roberts also knows the slugger “feels the responsibility” to provide such power, which might be contributing to his lack of plate discipline.

Thus, for now, taking the pressure off Ohtani’s shoulders by potentially hitting him lower in the lineup might also prove to be prudent.

“At the end of the day, every conversation I’ve had with him is whatever’s best for the team,” Roberts said. “And he’s all in on [that]. I know that undoubtedly.”

While Roberts will contemplate other changes beyond Ohtani’s spot in the order, there were a few ideas he outright struck down Monday night.

The big one: Removing Andy Pages from the batting order despite his 0-for-7 start in the playoffs –– one that has felt reminiscent of his historic struggles last October, and been further marred by a consequential ABS challenge he missed in Game 1.

While Roberts said he feels Pages has been “trying to do too much” –– downplaying any lingering effects from the fractured hand that sidelined the center fielder for most of September –– he also said he wanted to give the 25-year-old slugger more leash.

“I believe in him,” Roberts said. “And I feel that for us to win the World Series this year, we’re gonna need him to be an active part of our team.”

That was all part of the balance Roberts was trying to strike with his team’s season potentially hanging in the balance. It might still feel early for drastic changes. But one more loss, and the club’s three-peat bid will be on the brink.

“Our guys are our guys,” Roberts said. “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.”

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The final count from one nightmare of a bottom of the first inning for the Yankees: three errors, four misplays and somehow, largely thanks to Cam Schlittler, just one run.

Against a team that famously puts the ball in play often on a home turf that famously can be difficult to adjust to, the Yankees looked as if they had never played on this stage of the ALDS or at this locale of Tropicana Field.

After playing clean defense in the Game 1 loss Saturday to the Rays, the Yankees set the wrong tone early in Monday’s 5-2 Game 2 loss.

On Schlittler’s second pitch, Yandy Díaz chopped the ball to third baseman Ryan McMahon, who appeared to misjudge the turf bounce as the ball ticked off his glove for an error.

After a (legitimate) Jonathan Aranda single put two on, Junior Caminero sent a bouncer up the middle. George Lombard Jr. ranged over and backhand-flipped to Jazz Chisholm Jr. to record the only potential out on the play — but Chisholm wildly spun and threw to first, far off-line of Luis García Jr., enabling Díaz to score and Caminero to reach second base.

The comedy of errors was only going to grow funnier for Rays fans.

Schlittler appeared to strike out Liam Hicks, but what looked like strike three instead became a catcher’s interference, Austin Wells reaching too far forward and connecting his glove with Hicks’ bat.

With runners on first and second, Chandler Simpson grounded to Chisholm, who fielded and rushed a throw to Lombard. The rookie came off the base to catch it and then lunged back to record the out with a split-second to spare.

After Victor Mesa Jr. grounded to Chisholm — who fielded and threw to first base without incident, a development that needed to be reported — Schlittler had escaped a 19-pitch, 17-strike first inning in which everything went wrong except for his strike-throwing abilities. 

Gavin Williams brought the heat. The White Sox eventually ran up the bill.

For five innings, the Cleveland righthander made Chicago’s lineup look mostly overmatched, piling up strikeouts while the South Siders strung together missed opportunities. But Williams’ pitches had an expiration date, and when he finally handed the ball over in the sixth, the Sox were ready to collect.

Braden Montgomery’s two-run double flipped the game, Chase Meidroth supplied a crucial insurance run and Sean Burke provided the record-breaking pitching performance Chicago desperately needed. The result was a 4-3 victory and a 2-0 lead in this best-of-five ALDS, with a chance to finish the job Wednesday in front of the home crowd.

Pack the bags. Bring the brooms. Maybe leave the opener strategy in Cleveland.

Williams came out firing fastballs at 100-plus mph, retiring Sam Antonacci on a grounder he nearly beat out before striking out Kyle Teel. Teel took a questionable strike two but wisely kept the challenge in his pocket. Miguel Vargas worked a four-pitch walk, only to be stranded when Munetaka Murakami went down looking. A 15-pitch first inning wasn’t going to get Williams out of this game. Chicago needed to make him work considerably harder.

First, though, the Sox had to survive their own pitching plan.

Anthony Kay opened and immediately started playing with matches. Steven Kwan singled past Meidroth, who appeared to have a chance at the grounder, and José Ramírez walked. Chase DeLauter’s ground out moved both runners into scoring position, and skipper Will Venable had already seen enough.

Enter Sean Newcomb —along with considerably more chaos.

After two balls to Jo Adell, the Sox finished the plate appearance with an intentional walk. Nathaniel Lowe followed with a high chopper that gave Newcomb a tough play, and his throw sailed past first, allowing two runs to score.

One hit. One ball out of the infield. Two Cleveland runs.

October baseball: occasionally beautiful, occasionally whatever that was.

Newcomb struck out Angel Martínez and Travis Bazzana and then retired Cleveland in order in the second. Meanwhile, Williams was carving up White Sox hitters like a Thanksgiving turkey, striking out the side in the second as Chicago chased just about everything on the menu.

Both teams also burned an early challenge, leaving each with only one for the later innings. Thankfully, it didn’t come back to bite.

Colson Montgomery managed a walk in the third, but Antonacci erased it with a double play. Newcomb struck out DeLauter in the bottom half before Venable turned to Burke, who struck out the next two hitters.

That pitching change would age considerably better than the first one.

The Good Guys finally broke through in the fourth. Kyle Teel ended the no-hit bid with a leadoff single, Vargas drew another walk and Mune turned an 0-2 count into a full count before slapping an RBI single to right.

That was the approach. Take pitches. Extend at-bats. Make Williams earn every out.

Unfortunately, the rest of the inning offered a different instructional video.

Andrew Benintendi struck out on three pitches, Tristan Peters flied out and Braden Montgomery struck out, leaving two runners stranded. Chicago wasted another leadoff single in the fifth when Meidroth reached and Colson, Antonacci and Teel followed with strikeouts.

Williams had 11 Ks. He also had 91 pitches. The latter number was about to matter much more.

Stephen Vogt sent Williams back out for the sixth, and Vargas greeted him with another full-count battle before singling to left. Finally, Cleveland’s starter was done.

The South Siders had spent much of the evening losing individual fight, but still managed to wear down the guy throwing the punches.

Southpaw Erik Sabrowski took over and got Murakami to ground out, moving Vargas to second. Pinch-hitter Randal Grichuk drew a four-pitch walk, and a wild pitch to fellow pinch hitter Tommy Pham advanced both runners.

Pham popped out to shallow left, putting Chicago one out away from wasting another golden opportunity.

But have no fear: Braden is here.

The rookie jumped on the first pitch and drove an opposite-field double down the right-field line, bringing home Vargas and Grichuk for a 3-2 lead. Meidroth kept the line moving with an RBI single to right, then advanced to second on an errant throw to first.

Just like that, the Sox had four runs, and Cleveland had a problem.

Burke made sure it stayed that way. After working through a 19-pitch fourth, he retired the Guardians in order in the fifth, sixth and seventh. While Chicago’s offense went quiet again, the righthander kept putting zeroes on the board.

He retired a White Sox postseason-relief record 13 consecutive hitters before DeLauter’s two-out single in the eighth brought Venable back out for the hook.

Grant Taylor entered, and Adell promptly drove his first pitch to left-center for an RBI triple that came uncomfortably close to leaving the yard. Suddenly, that fourth run looked less like insurance and more like the entire policy.

Taylor got Lowe to fly out on his next pitch, preserving the 4-3 lead.

Cade Smith needed only five pitches to retire the Sox in the ninth. Taylor apparently liked that efficiency and matched it, setting Cleveland down in order on five pitches to finish the win.

It wasn’t tidy. It wasn’t comfortable. For long stretches, it wasn’t even particularly encouraging.

But the Sox made Williams throw enough pitches to open the door, Braden kicked it in and Burke gave them the innings to make it count.

Now the South Siders head back to Chicago one win from the ALCS.

Wednesday would be a lovely time to get it.

MVP
Sean Burke: 5 1/3: 1 H, 1 R, BB, 6 K, W

Runners-Up
Braden Montgomery: 1-for-4, R, 2 RBI, 2B, 2 K
Munetaka Murakami: 1-for-4, RBI, K
Chase Meidroth: 2-for-4, RBI, K
Grant Taylor: 1 1/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, S

Cold Cat
Anthony Kay: 1/3 IP, 1 H, 2 R (1 ER), BB

Runners-Up
Sean Newcomb: 2 IP, 1 H, BB, 3 K, E
Sam Antonacci: 0-for-4, K
Colson Montgomery: 0-for-3, BB

With Chicago leading the series 1-0, the Cleveland Guardians desperately needed to win today’s Game 2 to split the series.

Gavin Williams showed up looking to win today. After leading the AL in strikeouts, he immediately started adding to his playoff strikeout tally with two strikeouts in the first inning. Gavin walked a batter, but got out of the inning having only thrown 15 pitches.

Anthony Kay was tapped to be the White Sox opener for this game. He threw 17 pitches, gave up a single to Steven Kwan and a walk to José Ramírez. With only one out and runners on second and third, Will Venable was forced to go to his bullpen early. Sean Newcomb replaced Anthony Kay and threw two balls to Jo Adell before getting the signal from the dugout to intentionally walk Adell. With bases loaded, Nathaniel Lowe popped it high in the infield. The pitcher caught the ball but committed a throwing error to first, allowing Kwan and José to easily score. Two strikeouts on Angel Martínez and Travis Bazzana ended the inning but not before Cleveland was able to take the lead.

Gavin ramped up his pitching in the second, touching 100+ mph in multiple pitches, keeping his pitch count low, and struck out the side in order. He had five strikeouts in 31 pitches thrown. In the third inning Gavin added his sixth strike out, but walked the next batter. His pitch count started creeping up, but Sam Antonacci grounded into a double play to retire the side.

The White Sox got on the board in the fourth inning. Gavin still held on, striking out two more, throwing over 100 mph on eight pitches but getting his pitch count up to 75. He struggled putting runners away, giving up a lead off single, a walk, and another single before recording an out. But Gavin and the Guards got out of the inning while maintaining the lead.

The Guardians forced another pitching change and had one baserunner, via a Chase DeLauter single in the third, but wasn’t able to capitalize on it. A similar story for the bottom of the fourth inning, with Travis Bazzana being the sole base runner via a walk.

In the top of the fifth, Gavin gave up a lead off single, but recorded his ninth strikeout of the game for the first out of the inning. With his pitch count eclipsing 90 pitches thrown, Gavin Williams dug in and struck out the next two to retire the side and give himself 11 strikeouts.

Gavin came back out to start the sixth inning but gave up a single to end his night. Gavin’s final line reads 5.0 IP, 2R, 4H, 3BB, and 11Ks. Erik Sabrowski came on to face the middle of the order. Sabrowski got the first out, but a walk and wild pitch put Chicago runners on second and third. With two outs Sabrowski gave up a two run double along the first base line to give Chicago the lead. It was at this point that all of the work that Gavin put in to keep Cleveland in the lead was absolutely lost. Hunter Gaddis came in and gave up an RBI single then gave Chase Meidroth a free base with a wild throw in a pick off attempt. Hunter got the final out, but the tides turned with the White Sox going into the bottom of the inning with a two run lead.

Gaddis tightened up in the top of the seventh, getting two outs. Angel Martínez had another incredible play in left that kept Cleveland in it.

Stephen Vogt opted for the match up with Miguel Vargas and called for Shawn Armstrong. Armstrong got the final flyout to retire the side in the seventh. He went 1-2-3 in the eighth with a strikeout to give things to Cleveland to take back.

The Guardians stuck in it in the bottom of the eighth, bringing the team within one. With two outs, Chase DeLauter hit a single to left. After another pitching change, bringing in Grant Taylor, Jo Adell finally got his first post season hit with a RBI triple to left to score CDL. Nathaniel Lowe flied out for the final out, but he swung on a good pitch and just missed squaring up for a homer.

Cade Smith came in for the ninth and threw five pitches for three outs. The defense made three easy plays to make for a very quick inning.

Unfortunately the Guardians couldn’t make anything happen. Angel Martínez hit into a groundout. Travis Bazzana hit a long flyout. and Patrick Bailey hit a fly ball that was caught at the wall.

The Guards fall 0-2 in the series as the team heads to Chicago where they can hopefully avoid being swept by the White Sox. Its not known at this time who will be starting Game 3 for Cleveland.