Jeter, Rodriguez weigh in as Ohtani’s early NLCS slump leaves Dodgers chasing in Game 2

The Los Angeles Dodgers opened their NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers with a loss, and the early, most visible storyline is not pitching or defense. It is the batting performance of Shohei Ohtani, who has continued to struggle at the plate for Los Angeles, forcing the Dodgers into a catch-up mode early in the series.

In a segment framed around Game 2, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez discussed how a hitter of Ohtani’s two-way impact can still end up in a rough stretch during October, and what it means for a lineup built to apply pressure inning after inning. Their discussion centered on the idea of a “flip” point, a moment where timing, approach, and results start to line up again for a team that cannot afford prolonged offensive droughts in October.

For the Dodgers, the problem is not only scoring. In a playoff series, slow starts can change how the rest of the order is used, how pitchers attack hitters, and how quickly managers are forced to adjust their game plan. When one of the league’s most disruptive bats is underperforming, opposing bullpens often get more confidence with their leverage assignments, because the batting order becomes easier to map and to attack.

That is why the Game 2 question, as posed by the FOX Sports discussion, carries extra weight. If Ohtani begins to produce again, it does more than add runs. It can change the lineup’s spacing, affect pitch selection against surrounding hitters, and reduce the need for the Dodgers to chase outcomes earlier in counts.

Milwaukee, meanwhile, will be looking at the same thing from the other side. When a team’s star is still searching for his rhythm, the opposing approach can lean into that uncertainty, pressing with similar looks until hitters show a clear ability to adjust. The Brewers also know that in a short series, one game does not define the outcome, but it does offer a blueprint that can be tested and refined quickly.

The next step is straightforward to watch but difficult to predict. If Ohtani’s at-bats start to show the early signs of improvement, the Dodgers’ offense should become harder to contain, especially with the postseason pressure on both sides escalating game by game. If not, Los Angeles will need other parts of its lineup to absorb the burden while trying to avoid falling further behind the Brewers’ early momentum.

As the NLCS moves deeper, the “ready to flip the switch” theme will likely keep returning until Ohtani’s plate results match what the Dodgers expect from him. Game 2 is simply the first chance to see whether this is a temporary adjustment period or the kind of prolonged struggle that can narrow a champion’s path.