Shohei Ohtani continues delivering elite performances for the Los Angeles Dodgers on the mound, even as the two-way superstar works through one of the most difficult offensive stretches of his MLB career. After Ohtani accepted a pitching‑only role with the Dodgers, his dominance has only intensified, reinforcing how valuable he remains despite the slump at the plate.
After throwing seven scoreless innings in the Dodgers’ 4-0 victory over theSan Francisco Giants, Ohtani acknowledged that while his pitching remains dominant, he still expects more from himself as a hitter. “First and foremost, the fact that I’m not injured, that’s a good thing,” Ohtani said, via Sportsnet LA. “I do want to contribute more offensively. I haven’t done so this year, so I’m looking forward to doing that.”
The outing lowered Ohtani’s ERA to 0.82 through seven starts, one of the best marks in baseball, while helping Los Angeles snap a four-game losing streak against a Giants team that had entered the series with momentum.
Ohtani continues Cy Young-level dominance for Dodgers
Despite his offensive inconsistency, Ohtani has looked nearly untouchable as a pitcher during the early portion of the season. Against San Francisco, the Dodgers star struck out eight batters, allowed four hits, and leaned heavily on his fastball and sweeper while completing seven scoreless innings.
Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Dodgers pitches during the first inning against the Giants. Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images
Ohtani has now completed seven innings in consecutive starts after not surpassing six innings at any point last season while recovering from elbow surgery. The Dodgers have continued managing his workload carefully with a six-man rotation and additional rest days away from the lineup.
Dodgers balancing Ohtani’s workload amid offensive slump
Ohtani didn’t appear in the batting lineup during Wednesday’s start and is also expected to sit out the series finale as the Dodgers attempt to help him reset offensively.
The 31-year-old recently endured a 13-game home run drought and has produced only seven home runs with a .796 OPS so far this season, numbers below the standard he established over the past several years.
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Still, Ohtani expressed confidence in his overall condition while emphasizing that he can still impact games through pitching if his bat is not producing consistently. “Ideal situation is to be great on both sides of the ball,” Ohtani said. “But how I look at it is, if I’m not contributing offensively, then I know I can contribute on the pitching side of things.”
