LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani was already a superstar with his hitting and pitching accomplishments over six years with the Los Angeles Angels. Yet every October, Ohtani vanished, with the Angels having a losing record and never making the playoffs.

The Dodgers enter October riding high. But their path to a championship is littered with obstacles, many created by their own roster deficiencies.

Ohtani's impressive record-setting season is expected to go up in smoke in the playoffs since the Los Angeles Dodgers have almost no starting pitching. Their starters ERA over the last 15 games is well over 6 per game.