Dodgers shake up NLCS lineup, restoring Shohei Ohtani to leadoff with season on the line

One loss from elimination, the Los Angeles Dodgers restored Shohei Ohtani to the top of the batting order for Game 4 of the National League Championship Series on Thursday night.The Dodgers trailed the Milwaukee Brewers 3-0 in the best-of-seven series, and needed to four straight wins to reach the World Series and keep alive their bid for a third consecutive championship.Ohtani batted sixth in a 6-2 loss on Wednesday night, the lowest he's hit since joining the Dodgers ahead of the 2024 season. He was 1 for 2 with a walk to raise his batting average to .182. “Just seeing the work the last couple days, I like where his head is at,” manager Dave Roberts said before the game. “I liked the at-bats yesterday. Obviously we haven’t performed the way that we’re capable of, so to kind of shake it up a little bit but something that’s of somewhat normalcy that our guys are used to.”Ohtani typically leads off the order but has been dropped lower while struggling with injuries to his left knee and