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“Dodgers are playing without their best player” – LA analyst puts blame on Shohei Ohtani and team for dismal NLCS performances

Los Angeles Dodgers analyst Doug McKain argued that Shohei Ohtani playing through injury and the club allowing it will go down as the biggest reasons the team fails to complete a three-peat.

By Safeer M S · Sportskeeda

Published: Thursday, 15 October 2026 at 4:20 PM

Key Things to Know

Analyst Doug McKain argued Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers erred by letting him play through injuries.
The Los Angeles Dodgers trail the Milwaukee Brewers 3-0 in the NLCS following a 6-2 Game 3 defeat.
Shohei Ohtani is hitting .182 in seven postseason games while dealing with knee and biceps issues.

The Story in 60 Seconds

Dodgers Nation analyst Doug McKain argued that Shohei Ohtani playing through injury and the club allowing it are major reasons for the team's postseason struggles. In a deleted post on X, McKain stated that Los Angeles is playing without its best player as the club trails the Milwaukee Brewers 3-0 in the best-of-seven NLCS following a 6-2 Game 3 loss on Wednesday.

Ohtani has dealt with left knee and right biceps issues, batting just .182 without a home run across seven postseason games. Despite dropping Ohtani to sixth in the lineup, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts kept him active after the designated hitter insisted he was healthy enough to contribute.

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