Shohei Ohtani will be on the mound Friday night with an opportunity to send the Los Angeles Dodgers back to the World Series.
The pregame narrative: The reigning champions have a 3-0 series lead over the top-seeded Brewers and are favoured to finish the job at home. Ohtani has been spectacular on the mound this year, but his offensive production typically declines when he’s working in a two-way capacity.
Check out my Brewers vs. Dodgers prop picks for NLDS Game 4, featuring predictions on Ohtani and Brice Turang.
Dodgers vs. Brewers picks
Best bet: Turang under 0.5 hits (+110)
Turang took a big step offensively this season, posting a .288/.359/.435 slash line for the Brewers as part of a 5.5 bWAR campaign.
The reigning NL Platinum Glove winner (i.e., voted as the best of all Gold Glove recipients) seems to have a promising career ahead. But it’s been a rough postseason for the 25-year-old, and Ohtani likely won’t make things any easier.
- After a two-hit game in the NLDS opener, Turang is just 2-for-27 (.074) with 10 strikeouts.
- All in all, Turang gone under 0.5 hits in five of eight playoff games.
- Ohtani has allowed just 13 hits and four runs over his past 25.2 innings.
Ohtani does his best work at home, and he’s also better against left-hitting batters. More bad news for Turang.
In seven starts at Dodger Stadium this year, Ohtani has a 1.71 ERA, a 12.9 K/9 and a .151 opponent batting average.
Against LHBs this year, Ohtani has a 38.6% K rate and a .179 opponent BA. Disgusting stuff.
Key stat: Based on Baseball Savant’s metrics, Turang has largely earned his woeful playoff production. He has a .125 BA and a .171 xBA — along with an unsightly 39.4% K rate.
MLB best bets
Ohtani under 1.5 total bases (-112): Ohtani tripled in the first inning of NLCS Game 3, so I’m glad I didn’t make this pick yesterday.
I’m willing to fly in the face of the NL-MVP-to-be, though, due to the fact that he’s pitching Friday night. His offensive numbers tend to take a dive when he’s on the mound.
- Ohtani has made 10 starts as a pitcher since the all-star break. In that span, he is 7-for-38 (.184) at the plate with 17 strikeouts.
- On Oct. 4, in his first (and so far only) career postseason outing as a pitcher, Ohtani went 0-for-4 with four Ks and a walk.
Without knowing the Brewers’ exact pitching plans, it’s difficult to dive too deeply into the matchups Ohtani will see tonight.
But he’s struggled as a hitter throughout the postseason so far, so I’m comfortable plugging my nose and predicting this under.
Ohtani has a .158/.273/.368 slash line in nine playoff games and has cashed this under seven times.
Brewers vs. Dodgers picks made at 11:13 a.m. on 10/17/2025.
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Jordan enjoys writing data-driven game previews and analysis articles — especially for MLB markets or NFL/NBA props. And as a proud Ohio University grad, he’ll always have a soft spot for college sports (especially if the Bobcats are involved). Previous stops include mlb.com, Sportsnet and The Athletic.