Dave Roberts wont hang my hat on Shohei Ohtani returning to form in NLCS, but still has blind faith

MILWAUKEE –– Dave Roberts struggled to explain his belief.When asked for the umpteenth time this week about any positive signs he saw from slumping and injury-hampered slugger Shohei Ohtani in the opening round of the playoffs, the Dodgers’ manager couldn’t give a clear reason for optimism.During his 2-for-13 performance in the National League Division Series against the Braves, Roberts thought Ohtani “did a good job of controlling the [strike] zone.” He said he “saw some better swings” for the 32-year-old, and liked that he at least reached base in all four games (with the help of a couple walks).Still, Roberts didn’t try to pretend the four-time MVP looked to be on the verge of a breakout.He, like everyone else, saw a version of Ohtani almost unrecognizable to what the Dodgers have become accustomed to over the last three years.So, why exactly has the skipper continued to insist that Ohtani will “come to life” at some point in this postseason?“There’s nothing right now I’m going to hang my hat on,” he conceded, “outside of, I just believe in the person and the talent … I’m just never going to count Shohei out.”For now, such blind faith is as good as the Dodgers can muster when it comes to Ohtani, who was slated to hit cleanup in Game 1 of the NL Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday.They know the two-way star is still limited by left knee and right arm injuries.They are well aware he hasn’t hit a home run since Aug.

18, mired in a 22-game slump since then (including the regular season and playoffs) in which he has hit .157 and collected only one RBI.However, hope continues to abound in what feels like an increasingly unlikely turnaround.“I still think if he’s in the batter’s box, he’s still a threat,” Roberts said.“He swung the bat well against these guys last postseason.

Those pitchers, their memories are long.Now it’s just up to Shohei to understand that and control the strike zone.

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