​MILWAUKEE, WI – OCTOBER 14: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits an RBI single in the seventh inning during Game Two of the National League Championship Series presented by loanDepot between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on Tuesday, October 14, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Aaron Gash/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images The Dodgers for their first game of the National League Championship Series will have Kiké Hernández in the starting lineup for a third straight game. Hernández plays second base and bats ninth on Sunday against the Milwaukee Brewers.Hernández, who homered in Game 3 against Chris Sale of the Braves, usually starts against left-handers, but this is is second straight start against a right-handed starting pitcher.Tonight’s #NLCS Game 1 Dodgers lineup at Brewers: pic.twitter.com/p2pNR7cJHu— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 11, 2026Shohei Ohtani in Game 1 of the NLCS bats fourth against Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski. For nearly all of Ohtani’s three years with the Dodgers, his placement in the lineup was more rigid, mostly all batting leadoff except when he was hitting second. But with Ohtani’s month-plus slump changed things. He’s batted second, fourth, and fifth so far in the postseason.“I haven’t settled on that,” manager Dave Roberts said Friday, “But it’s probably somewhere between one and five, I would say, or two and five.”The last home run for Ohtani was hit on August 18 at Coors Field. Since then he’s gone 101 plate appearances and 22 full games without a long ball, hitting just .151/.277/.198.During the NLDS against the Braves, Ohtani had two singles and two walks in 16 plate appearances, including a stolen base in Game 4. Ohtani is the only Dodgers hitter who has homered off Misiorowski, doing so on July 8, 2025, the only run allowed by Misiorowski on that day, his fifth major league start. In three games against the Dodgers, including last year’s NLCS, the Brewers ace has a 1.59 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 17 innings. Not that a home run is necessarily needed to get Ohtani out of his slump.“It’s one of those things that for tomorrow it’s just get on base, take good at-bats, and we’ll deal with whatever. Honestly it’s the same message for everyone,” Roberts said Saturday night in Milwaukee. “Shohei is known for his slug, but when you’re facing Jacob, it’s just you’ve got to take good at-bats. If you run into a homer, great. But if you can earn a walk, fantastic.“I think it’s more of — production is just doing anything positive for the club, and we need all guys to do their part.”