Shohei Ohtani Embraces Pitching-Only Role Amid Slump

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani said he understands why the team kept him out of the lineup for his start against the Houston Astros on Tuesday.

Ohtani has exclusively pitched in three of his last four starts, and has performed well in each of them, pitching 19 innings and allowing five runs during that stretch with 27 strikeouts. His offense during that time, though, is a different story.

He’s slashing .226/.360/.355 for a .715 OPS since April 15 with just one home run, and is hitless in his last 17 at-bats.

“If I was hitting well, I’m sure the team would want me to pitch and hit as well,” Ohtani said. “But I understand, in a situation where [they’re saying], ‘Hey, just focus on pitching, turn the page on the hitting.’ I understand that the team might think like that.”

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, though, said the decision to withhold Ohtani from the lineup wasn’t directly correlated to his recent offensive struggles.

“Just kind of seeing how it’s playing out, I think it’s best for everyone,” Roberts said. “Definitely not results. It’s a little bit more body language and just watching the player.”

Ohtani isn’t the only player struggling on offense, though, as the Dodgers collectively haven’t helped their pitchers much in the last few series. Through their last three series, the Dodgers have scored five or more runs on just two occasions, and each of their losses have come with two or fewer runs scored.

How Has Shohei Ohtani Pitched This Season?

While Ohtani’s absence from the batting order has certainly raised some questions, his pitching has provided plenty of value for the Dodgers.

After surpassing the number of innings to qualify on Tuesday, Ohtani leads all of MLB with a 0.97 ERA this season. Through his 37 innings pitched, the right-hander has allowed just four earned runs and has 42 strikeouts on the year.

FanGraphs currently ranks the two-way star third in their Cy Young Projections for the National League, placing him marginally behind Chris Sale and Bryce Elder of the Atlanta Braves.

Ohtani has plenty of time to rediscover his stride with the Dodgers this season, as four months still remain in the season. They still sit in first place ahead of the San Diego Padres in the NL West, and will look to close their series against the Houston Astros on a high note Wednesday.

Is Shohei Ohtani’s offense something the Dodgers should start worrying about? Or is it just a slump?