Shohei Ohtani, the guy who’s won the Hank Aaron Award for top offensive player in his league three seasons straight, just struck out swinging to end the seventh inning of Game 2 in the NLDS, and man, the Dodgers are locked in a 1-1 tie against the Braves. This is the guy everyone expects to carry a team, but right now, something is off. He’s a finalist for the Hank Aaron Award again this year, and deservedly so for the season he had, but it’s clear he is not playing like a winner right now. The Dodgers desperately need him to find anything at the plate, because what he’s doing is not cutting it.
The Bat Has Gone Ice Cold
Let’s be real, Ohtani’s bat has been brutal. In the NLDS so far, he’s only got two singles in eight at bats. Two singles! Since coming back from the injured list on September 23, he’s only managed seven hits, including one double, in a whopping 29 at bats. He’s had one walk and one strikeout in that stretch. Other than one game against the Padres on September 24 where he actually hit the ball hard, he hasn’t gotten any real results at the plate for seven weeks. SEVEN WEEKS. His last homer? That was way back on August 18 at Coors Field. Since then, in 94 plate appearances, he’s hitting a pathetic .160/.277/.198. And get this: in Game 2 alone, he swung at seven pitches outside the strike zone. You can’t be chasing like that, not when the stakes are this high.
Playing Through The Pain, Or Something Worse?
So what’s going on? Turns out, Ohtani was clearly diminished at the plate before hitting the injured list four weeks ago, dealing with left knee inflammation and a right biceps injury. Everyone seems to agree he’s not 100 percent. When asked about potential offseason attention for his injuries, Ohtani didn’t give much away. He told us last Friday through interpreter Will Ireton, “I haven’t been able to get a good grasp of the root cause of all this. I think that process is going to happen during the off-season when I’m going to have a little bit more time to be able to address it. But as of now, it’s something I’m just going to have to manage.” Manager Dave Roberts echoed some of that, saying on Monday in Atlanta that Ohtani needs to “do a better job of staying in the strike zone.” You gotta wonder, is the swing-and-miss chasing because of the injuries, or is it just bad plate discipline right now? It’s a huge question with the season on the line.
The Dodgers are tied 1-1 in the NLDS. They need the Shohei Ohtani everyone knows, not this version. It’s time for him to manage whatever is going on and deliver. The stakes could not be higher for him and for the team.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by True Blue LA.
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