The Dodgers Just Need Ohtani Healthy at the Top of the Lineup, Not Heroic

Last October, Shohei Ohtani threw six scoreless innings and hit three home runs in the same playoff game. This October, the Dodgers will settle for much less.

He won't pitch again this season. The right biceps discomfort that put him on the injured list for 13 games ended that part of his year, after he went 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA in 14 starts. As a hitter, he came back Wednesday against San Diego and was batting .278 with 30 homers and 81 RBIs going into Friday.

We need him to be healthy and strong. It certainly helps our offense.

That's the bar Dave Roberts set. He wants good at-bats from his leadoff man, and if teams walk Ohtani to get to Mookie Betts, fine. The plan is five straight games to end the season, about 20 to 23 at-bats, which Roberts thinks is plenty. He said Ohtani looked the way he'd hoped.

The schedule helps. The defending champions get five days off during the wild-card round, time for Ohtani to rest and take simulated at-bats. Roberts said he trusts the four-time MVP to manage himself and won't be checking in every day, leaving that to Ohtani and the trainers.