Dodgers Move Ohtani to Fifth for Game 3

With the National League Division Series tied 1-1, the Dodgers changed their lineup for Game 3 in Atlanta, moving Shohei Ohtani from second to fifth and placing Miguel Rojas sixth. Ohtani is 2-for-8 without a home run in the series and is dealing with right arm and left knee injuries; the Dodgers have struggled to produce runs beyond home runs. Manager Dave Roberts weighed the risk of overreacting to a small sample against the urgency of avoiding a 2-1 deficit in the best-of-five series. The Dodgers face Braves ace Chris Sale, who shut them out in a complete game in August, while Yoshinobu Yamamoto is set to make his postseason debut after a strong regular season and a one-run outing against Atlanta earlier this year. Edwin Díaz’s sharp Game 2 appearance also put him in consideration to close, with Roberts expressing confidence in him.