Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts will rest Shohei Ohtani during LA’s fourth and final game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday.
Ohtani pitched and hit in Wednesday’s win over Arizona, and proved once again why he is the best player in the world. At the plate, Ohtani went 3-for-4 with three singles and drew a walk as well. He also scored one of the Dodgers’ seven runs.
On the mound, Ohtani had one of his better performances as well. He threw six scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and one walk. He had some issues with control throughout the night, but still managed six strikeouts during his outing.
The Dodgers have taken to having Ohtani pitch ahead of an off day, but amid a stretch of 10 games in a row, they’ll have to find another way to get him his rest.
“Tomorrow, just the overall body soreness and fatigue is something that, if we can manage that, it kind of gives us a chance to get through the next days after,” Roberts said.
How Has Ohtani Played This Season?
On the year, Ohtani has been one of the best hitters as well as one of the best pitchers in the league.
His pitching has overshadowed his performance at the plate so far, as he would be a runaway favorite for the Cy Young if he weren’t surrounded by such strong competition in the National League. Ohtani has a 0.74 ERA through 10 starts this season, and has struck out 67 batters in 61 innings pitched.
While his pitching has certainly been the story of his season, Ohtani has been one of the best hitters in the league as well. He has 10 homers and 33 RBIs through 61 games played. After his three-hit performance on Wednesday, Ohtani raised his batting average to .301 and his OPS to .941.
The Dodgers are guaranteed to at least tie their series against the Diamondbacks on Thursday, and will hope the rest of their team can pull out a win against Arizona, who came into the series on a hot streak. Justin Wrobleski will pitch for the Dodgers in the final game of the series, which begins at 6:40 p.m. PT.
Do you think resting Ohtani is the right move?
