Shohei Ohtani had a quiet postseason at the plate. Yet, if you ask manager Dave Roberts, he’d say the two-way star is doing just fine, taking quality at-bats and helping the offense in one way or another. Well, the two-way star did have a strong start in Game 3 of the Championship Series. He gave the Dodgers an early edge with a smacking leadoff triple in their 3-1 win against the Milwaukee Brewers. While Ohtani has shown signs of snapping out of his slump, it’s still unusual to witness this kind of uneven stretch from him. It caught Stephen A. Smith from First Take off guard as well, and he didn’t hold back while sharing his thoughts on Ohtani’s slump.

“You know what my issue with him is right now. I appreciate the fact that he’s doing it. But the fact is, this isn’t the first postseason. He struggled. He struggled last postseason, too. He should have known better and made sure he was doing this ahead of time.” Smith said.

Shohei Ohtani has kind of looked lost at the plate in the playoffs. The reigning NL MVP held a slash line of .147/.275/.324 entering game 3, along with only two extra-base hits and 15 strikeouts across eight postseason games. He also went 3-29 with no extra-base hits and three RBI across seven games since his two-homer night in the NLWCS opener.

According to Smith, “He needs to do something right. Go out there and pitch your behind off since you can’t hit right now. Do something right.” It’s apparently Shohei Ohtani’s two-way role that has raised concerns, especially concerning his batting.

On the pitching side, however, Dave Roberts is no longer concerned about his pitch count. During the regular season, the Japanese star made 14 starts and recorded a 2.87 ERA through 47 innings. So, overall, Ohtani has been reliable on both sides of the ball.

He is set to take the ball for the Dodgers in Game 4 against the Brewers. The Dodgers defeated the Brewers on Thursday. That means Ohtani would now be pitching with a chance to clinch the NLCS title and send his team straight to the World Series. And let’s just say, Roberts hasn’t lost faith in him.

For now, most of us hope that Ohtani’s Thursday leadoff triple is a sign that his struggles were short-lived. However, to your surprise, Roberts never even lost his trust in the phenom.

Dave Roberts’ unparalleled faith in Shohei Ohtani despite the struggles

While speaking with reporters a day before game 3, Dave Roberts said, “Him being in the lineup, getting the walks, allowing for Mookie (Betts) to have the opportunity to drive runs in—that’s contribution.” There’s no doubt that for Roberts, Shohei Ohtani is in a “good spot.”

Fair enough, because it was only this year when he made a comeback to the mound after elbow surgery kept him away, and he played only as a designated hitter.

On Thursday, he marked his third postseason leadoff triple in Dodgers history. “He’s a great competitor; he’s very prepared and there’s still a lot of baseball left,” Roberts said. “He’s obviously a very talented player, and we’re counting on him.

So for him to realize his own personal expectations, and if they are not realized, then certainly there’s frustration.”

After all, he hit a triple in the first inning of Game 3 and also scored the first run. Against left-hander Aaron Asheavy, Shohei Ohtani pulled an 84.4-mile slider that fell low to the outside strike zone corner, giving the Dodgers an early lead. The ball was lightly hit with the bat, and it flew at a speed of 81.9 miles as it fell inside the right foul line before flying into the foul area. That’s when Ohtani ran to third base and settled on the base by sliding.

The Dodgers have only one win left to advance to the World Series, and if Ohtani holds onto his Thursday’s momentum, all the criticism will perhaps stop.