By Rory Carroll
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he may tweak his lineup and is weighing emergency pitching options for Shohei Ohtani as his team faces elimination on the road in Game Six of the World Series.
The Dodgers vaunted lineup produced a solo home run in a dispiriting 6-1 Game Five home loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday, and the team’s poorly timed slump has left Roberts considering a batting order shake-up.
“I might change it up a little bit,” Roberts told reporters, adding he was “still kind of up in the air” about adjustments.
He emphasized a simplified approach at the plate.
“They just have to compete and fight in the batter’s box. And it’s one-on-one, the hitter versus the pitcher, and that’s it,” he said.
Roberts confirmed Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start Game Six. The Japanese right-hander was dominant against the Blue Jays in Game Two, throwing a sparkling complete game where he allowed one run on four hits and no walks while striking out eight.
If the series reaches a decider, Roberts said nothing would be ruled out, including different ways to deploy the two-way star Ohtani, who took the loss in his World Series pitching debut in Game Four.
“Everything should be on the table,” he said.
The manager emphasized mindset over mechanics in must-win games.
“It’s all mindset,” he said.
“In our small world of baseball, it is war.”
Roberts rejected the notion that a prior layoff, which saw the Dodgers forced into a long break after sweeping the Brewers in the NLCS, contributed to the defending-champion Dodgers’ recent struggles.
“I don’t think so. Even if it was, I wouldn’t say it was,” he said.
He added that the entire roster opted into a workout following a grueling travel day to Toronto. Players arrived around 7 a.m., with the coaching staff following later.
“Not one guy took the option (to skip),” Roberts said.
“It speaks to where these guys are at – the job’s not done, and we’re going to keep going and keep fighting.”
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Jamie Freed)
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