Dodgers’ Dave Roberts Wants to ‘Temper’ Shohei Ohtani’s Aggressiveness With RISP
The Los Angeles Dodgers haven’t had the best start to the season. Prior to their early game on Wednesday, they were 12-8, which still puts them first in the NL West. However, the Dodgers don’t seem like themselves right now, and neither does their superstar, Shohei Ohtani.
The numbers would say otherwise, as he is slashing .341/.385/.634 with a 1.019 OPS. You must be thinking, ‘Those are great numbers; what seems to be the problem?’
Well, the problem is that Ohatni hasn’t hit well with runners in scoring position. When a scoring opportunity arises, Ohtani has come up short more often than not.
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was very vocal about wanting Ohtani to ‘temper’ his superstar’s aggressiveness with RISP after Tuesday’s game.
“Shohei is obviously a very aggressive hitter, but he can do a better job of getting into a count,” Roberts said. “Right now, he’s been super aggressive, more than he’s ever been with runners in scoring position. So we’ve got to temper that back, make these guys continue to make pitches. We’ll address that.”
Through 20 games of the season, Ohtani is 1-for-19 with runners in scoring position. That is not what you expect from your superstar with an opportunity to score runs. With runners in scoring position, Ohtani is slashing a horrendous .053/.048/.053 with a .100 OPS, along with four strikeouts and one double play.
Ohtani is at his best after a 0-1 count, where he’s slugging .541 and has a .865 OPS, six extra-base hits, and 12 hits. Still, Roberts is right. Ohtani is rushing into his at-bats. Instead, he needs to work the count, be patient, and wait for the right pitch. There’s no pressure on him, as Freddie Freeman and Will Smith are right behind him and could bring him home more times than not.
The 29-year-old will figure it out soon, but Roberts wants to make sure the Dodgers are helping their superstar work out of it.
Photo Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
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