Dodgers must prioritize Shohei Ohtani's load management, or suffer the consequences - BERITAJA

Two things could beryllium true: The Dodgers’ play ended prematurely and, for Shohei Ohtani, the offseason couldn’t travel soon enough.

Thursday’s elimination — a no-doubt-about-it expanse astatine the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers, who vanquished the Dodgers successful the aforesaid manner Ohtani and Co. had summarily eliminated them past play — was apparently the only measurement to get the two-way superstar retired of the lineup.

Now he could get immoderate much-needed remainder and recovery, a reality cheque and, possibly, immoderate surgical procedures to repair the knee and biceps injuries that plagued him this season.

Ohtani didn’t norm thing retired successful his postgame scrum, respective rows deep, successful beforehand of his locker aft the Dodgers’ 6-4 defeat successful Game 4 of the National League Championship Series.

“Hard to show astatine this point,” the 32-year-old Ohtani said successful Japanese, via expert Will Ireton. “It’s thing that’s going to beryllium analyzed, discussed complete the offseason, and spot if that’s a viable point to do.”

Hopefully, for the Dodgers’ liking and for baseball’s, Ohtani and his squad will spot their measurement to a reasonable load guidance plan. Hopefully they’ll find a viable wounded guidance strategy.

Especially if he continues to pitch, arsenic Ohtani said he plans to: “Yes, definitely, and looking guardant to having a amended season.”

Hopefully this bumpy play — his first arsenic a Dodger to extremity short of the title pursuing the 2024 and 2025 title runs — will make Ohtani better. Wiser. More consenting to perceive to his assemblage and to pass what it’s telling him pinch the shot nine that relies connected him truthful much.

“I’ll ever spot Shohei,” Dodgers head Dave Roberts said. “He’s the champion subordinate connected the planet, and he’s not wholly healthy. But I conscionable springiness him a batch of respect for not moving from it, still wanting to participate, still wanting to play erstwhile he’s not 100%.”

But hopefully erstwhile Ohtani’s knee barks adjacent time, he won’t transportation done it. Hopefully erstwhile his correct limb tightens up, he’ll measurement retired of the box. Even — aliases particularly — if it takes longer than a 15-day IL stint to make him right.

Hopefully he’s learned that irrespective of a consciousness of work aliases pridefulness aliases a selfish streak, the cold-hitting truth is that a compromised type of Ohtani leaves the Dodgers’ full squad — a $400 cardinal finance — compromised, arsenic it was this postseason.

“I don’t really want to return it for granted for the opportunity to beryllium capable to play pinch these guys,” Ohtani said. “But honestly, I deliberation I’m conscionable very disappointed.”

In 8 playoff games against the Atlanta Braves and Brewers, Ohtani deed .192 (five for 26). He struck retired 10 times. He didn’t get an extra-base deed aliases thrust successful a tally until Thursday, successful the play finale, which reminded america of Ohtani’s powerfulness — he walloped his first location tally since Aug. 18, a three-run rocket successful the 2nd inning that traveled 428 feet — and his pain.

Roberts looked, for a moment, for illustration a brilliant for continuing to support Ohtani successful the lineup — and to pencil him successful arsenic the Dodgers’ leadoff hitter aft batting him sixth connected Wednesday.

For that 1 sparkling moment.

Shohei Ohtani celebrates aft hitting a three-run location tally successful the 2nd inning of the Dodgers’ 6-4 nonaccomplishment to the Milwaukee Brewers successful Game 4 of the NLCS connected Thursday nighttime astatine Dodger Stadium.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

But Ohtani besides struck retired 3 times Thursday — made to look foolish successful a much-too-familiar way.

The Dodgers needed a patient Ohtani to woody pinch a young, quiet ballclub for illustration the Brewers.

To person a chance against a squad that was, arsenic Dodgers inferior man Kiké Hernández said, “almost playing cleanable baseball,” they needed him dialed successful and not tinkering, not staying precocious searching.

They request the type of him that delivered the cleanable crippled a twelvemonth ago, his three-home-run, 10-strikeout masterpiece that sent Milwaukee location successful Game 4 of the NLCS.

“Ohtani is arguably the champion subordinate successful the world,” Brewers head Pat Murphy said.

“He’s proven that to us. He had the top crippled I’ve ever seen played by an individual subordinate past twelvemonth against us.”

The Dodgers request that feline striking fearfulness into opponents. Not him striking out, aliases getting stranded helplessly connected base.

Shohei Ohtani tosses his bat aft hitting a three-run location tally against the Milwaukee Brewers during the Dodgers’ 6-4 nonaccomplishment successful Game 4 of the NLCS connected Thursday astatine Dodger Stadium.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

And they sewage a glimpse of that feline Thursday pinch that second-inning location run, a changeable that had him throwing his arms up and screaming toward his dugout, arsenic emotive arsenic we’ve seen him, relieved and exulting aft giving the Dodgers a 4-0 lead — and a fleeting anticipation that they’d play a Game 5 connected Friday.

“It was a batch of pent-up anger, frustration,” Roberts said. “It was the champion shot he deed successful about apt two, 3 months, and it was a large hit.”

“It was like,” Max Muncy said, “that’s the plaything we’ve been waiting for.”

Now we each hold for shot to return — and past to study what this play taught Ohtani, 1 of the about unsocial athletes successful the history of the game.

“Not rather satisfied pinch really things shaped up connected the pitching broadside astatine the extremity of the year,” Ohtani said. “... I haven’t been capable to really travel to grips successful position of what I’ve learned overall. It’s thing that I’m going to benignant of spell backmost to the drafting committee successful position of treatment, training program, and spot what I could travel up pinch for adjacent season.”