FAST AND LOOSE:
Despite command struggles, Ohtani has pitched his way out of trouble after falling behind in counts, which manager Roberts credited to his velocity
Shohei Ohtani on Wednesday night tossed six innings of no-hit ball, gave himself an early lead with a home run and still was not satisfied with his performance.
The Los Angeles Dodgers’ two-way superstar dropped some expletives that were picked up by the on-field mic as he struggled with his command in a 4-1 win over the Colorado Rockies.
He struck out seven, walked four and gave up an earned run in the fourth inning while visibly fuming on the mound. Ohtani (5-2) earned his third consecutive victory.
Photo: AFP
“Just command was off, and I just felt like I was battling the lack of it, and frustration,” Ohtani said through a translator. “Just way too many walks, and of course you want to avoid the hits, but the result of that was a lot of walks, and that’s something that I just don’t really want to do.”
Ohtani’s 19-1/3-inning scoreless streak ended on Willi Castro’s groundout to second, raising his ERA to 0.82.
“I know they say the same thing a lot, but it’s just the feel,” Ohtani said. “When something’s off offensively, defensively, I could tell, and I just really couldn’t find it.”
After Ohtani and Will Klein combined for seven hitless innings, Tanner Scott allowed a two-out single to right by Tyler Freeman, ending the no-hit bid.
“The takeaway, if any, the positive is that they didn’t really have any hard hits,” Ohtani said. “The bullpen’s been just consistent, done a great job all year. We’re setting the tone to where as long as we have the lead by the seventh, we just hand the baton and win the game.”
Ohtani homered leading off the bottom of the first inning, making him the only starting pitcher in major-league history with a leadoff home run in back-to-back starts and the only one with a leadoff home run in any MLB game.
Ohtani’s 28th career leadoff homer and fourth this season came exactly a week after the four-time Most Valuable Player went deep on the first pitch of the game before throwing five innings of three-hit ball against the Padres in San Diego on Wednesday last week.
“I don’t think he put forth his best effort tonight as far as discipline,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I think there was a 3-2 ball down in the zone, he could’ve taken the walk. Another time I think he had count leverage and he grounded out, but I think in general, in the last few weeks, he’s in a good spot.”
Roberts was asked if he could recall any pitcher being as mad as Ohtani was after throwing six no-hit innings.
“A guy that wore number 22 that we remember. Very similar,” he said, referring to three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw, who retired last year after 18 seasons with the Dodgers. “That’s what makes guys like that special.”
Ohtani similarly struggled with his command last week in San Diego, yet despite getting into bad counts, he still pitches his way out of trouble.
Roberts credited Ohtani’s velocity for avoiding costly mistakes. He routinely touched the upper 90s against the Rockies.
“The sweeper, he’s still just got enough stuff to make hitters uncomfortable and can use the curveball to slow them down,” Roberts said. “Once he gets guys into scoring position, he really bears down and the command seems to come to life, but this guy is just a crazy good competitor.”
Elsewhere on Wednesday, the Chicago Cubs snapped a 10-game losing streak with a 10-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Milwaukee Brewers survived the St Louis Cardinals 2-1 to sweep the series, the Detroit Tigers blanked the Los Angeles Angels 4-0 and the Cleveland Guardians edged the Washington Nationals 3-2.
The Philadelphia Phillies blanked the San Diego Padres 3-0 to sweep their series, the New York Yankees dominated the Kansas City Royals 7-0 to complete a three-game sweep, the Chicago White Sox routed the Minnesota Twins 15-2 and the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Miami Marlins 2-1.
The Seattle Mariners overpowered the Athletics 9-1 to move into first place in the American League West, the Arizona Diamondbacks toppled the San Francisco Giants 3-2 to sweep their divisional rivals a second time and the Boston Red Sox ended a four-game losing streak with an 8-0 victory over the Atlanta Braves.
The New York Mets outlasted the Cincinnati Reds 4-2, the Baltimore Orioles beat the Tampa Bay Rays 11-2 and the Houston Astros survived the Texas Rangers 4-3.
Additional reporting by staff writer, with Reuters
