Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani completed his second start on the mound Sunday against the Washington Nationals. Ohtani went one inning once again after tossing one frame in his season debut on the mound Monday against the San Diego Padres.
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Everyone has been waiting for the three-time MVP to hit the mound, and while he is now back on the hill, it appears to have affected his hitting prowess. Ohtani has not been the sharpest at the plate, and the numbers reflect that. In his past seven games, the lefty hitter has slashed .222/.364/.444, along with one home run, eight RBIs and 13 strikeouts.
While many may believe that his offensive struggles coincide with his pitching, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts doesn’t believe that to be the case. Roberts told Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register that it has to do with him chasing.
“The last week, I think, yeah, he’s been struggling a little bit, chasing a little bit more,” Roberts said. “I wouldn’t think it’s related to (his return to) pitching. But as we keep going with this process, he keeps pitching. We’ll know more. But I don’t know that answer right now.”
His contest on Sunday against the Nationals was a bit better compared to what we’ve seen from him this past week. During the win on Sunday, Ohtani went 2-for-4 with three runs, five RBIs and one home run. He did manage to have two strikeouts in the contest, which came in his first two plate appearances.
As for his second appearance on the mound, he looked a lot sharper.
In one inning, the right-handed pitcher allowed zero hits, zero runs, and two strikeouts on 18 pitches.
Ohtani’s next start remains up in the air, but as he continues to find his rhythm, it’s only a matter of time before he’s back to making an impact on both sides of the game.
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Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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