Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani made his fourth start since returning to pitching on Saturday, posting two scoreless innings and striking out the side in the bottom of the second.
He hasn’t allowed a run in his last three appearances and has increased the amount of pitches he’s thrown in his last three appearances, hinting at him staying in games as more than just an opener. Ohtani, however, insists he’ll play it safe.
“In a rehab progression, it’s really important to just take one step at a time,” Ohtani said. “There are times when I may be able to go another inning, but it’s really important not to take unnecessary risks and make sure that I can progress consistently. It’s always been this way in terms of my rehab progression. So I’m following what the team is also asking me as well.”
This is Ohtani’s first season pitching for the Dodgers since making the switch from the Los Angeles Angels, where he pitched for six seasons. While with the Angels, he posted a 3.01 career ERA and placed fourth in AL Cy Young voting once. He suffered a tear to his UCL in 2023, which kept him from pitching for all of the 2024 season.
Ohtani’s season ERA dropped to 1.50 after his scoreless start on Saturday, and has only allowed one run across his four starts as the opener. The lowest ERA Ohtani has kept over the course of a season is a mark of 2.33 in 2022, though he will likely pitch far fewer innings this season in comparison to then.
Despite Ohtani’s strong showing over the weekend, the Dodgers hit a slight hiccup against the Astros, dropping all three of their games this weekend. They now lead the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres by seven games in the NL West, though they still have the best record in the National League.
They’ll look to return to form against the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday at 4:40 p.m. PT.
