Ohtani Shines as Dodgers Showcase Two-Way Talent Against Nationals

On Sunday, Shohei Ohtani made a notable impact in his second pitching appearance for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He successfully threw one hitless inning while striking out two batters and allowing only one baserunner, who reached base due to an error by teammate Mookie Betts. During this outing, Ohtani threw a total of 18 pitches, with 12 strikes and one wild pitch, beginning with a groundout from leadoff hitter CJ Abrams. Although Betts mishandled a pop-up from James Wood due to the sun, Ohtani quickly recovered, fanning both Luis García Jr. and Nathaniel Lowe to wrap up the inning.

At the plate, Ohtani faced Michael Soroka as the Dodgers' leadoff hitter in the bottom half of the first inning but was struck out after seven pitches. However, he redeemed himself offensively in the seventh, hitting a three-run triple that contributed to a 7-3 lead for the Dodgers. Ben Casparius took over pitching duties from Ohtani in the second inning as the team observed his performance, likely meeting their expectations from the two-way superstar.

Ohtani's fastball reached a peak of 98.8 mph during the game, slightly lower than the 100 mph he achieved in his first outing. In a previous start against San Diego, he allowed two hits and a run in the first inning while pitching 28 pitches. Before facing the Nationals, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts mentioned that there was no specific timeline for Ohtani to extend his starts to full lengths due to ongoing assessments of his workload.

Roberts also noted that Ohtani might need to adjust his position in the batting order on days he pitches, especially at home. Ohtani expressed contentment with hitting leadoff but acknowledged the challenges of transitioning from pitching to batting in the same inning. As for his performance, he struggled lately at the plate, with a batting average of just 4 for 23 over the past six games prior to Sunday. Nonetheless, he remains tied for third in the majors with 25 home runs.

The Dodgers are exercising patience as Ohtani re-acclimates to balancing both pitching and hitting roles. Roberts has not noticed any signs of fatigue in Ohtani's play, attributing recent struggles to common issues hitters face. In his first season with the Dodgers under a significant contract, Ohtani is determined to showcase his skills after missing last season due to arm surgery. While his offensive numbers have dipped slightly, the Dodgers continue to support his capability as a two-way player, recognizing the importance of his contributions amid their ongoing pitching injuries.