Dodgers Receive Positive Update on Shohei Ohtani’s Pitching Progress
Despite having their undefeated streak snapped, the Los Angeles Dodgers have good news concerning Shohei Ohtani, the pitcher. Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times recently provided this update:
The Dodgers already have a two-time Cy Young winner, Blake Snell, a legitimate ace, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the most touted free agent, Roki Sasaki, an injury-prone but incredible Tyler Glasnow, and other reliable starters with filthy stuff like Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin.
Oh, and not to mention, a future Hall of Famer and one of the best southpaws ever, Clayton Kershaw. Ohtani on the mound will only add to this embarrassment of riches. The 30-year-old has a career 3.01 ERA and 4.00 FIP over 481 and 2/3 innings. He also came in fourth in the 2022 American League Cy Young race. Ohtani has also dealt with multiple serious injuries during his career. After his rookie year in 2018, he underwent Tommy John surgery. Then, he needed to address a UCL issue in 2023 and had labrum surgery this winter. Los Angeles should cruise through the regular season with or without Ohtani’s services on the mound, and he will have plenty of time to ease himself back into his two-way duties. One option for the Dodgers is to put Ohtani in the bullpen. He has the mindset and stuff to succeed in high-leverage situations, which would naturally lessen his workload.
The other fascinating part about Ohtani’s recovery is how it has not affected his play at the plate. The three-time MVP and Silver Slugger leads the league with 11 runs, a .324 batting average, a 1.057 OPS, and a ridiculous 204 OPS+ through his first nine games. Ohtani’s return should come sooner rather than later, and when it does, the rest of the league will be on an even higher alert.
Dave Roberts Addresses Major Dodgers Performance Concern
A historic undefeated streak by a reigning World Series champion ended on Friday. The Los Angeles Dodgers suffered their first loss of the season to the Philadelphia Phillies, again falling behind to the opposition, which is a concern for manager Dave Roberts. The Dodgers bounced back on Saturday, improving to 9-1 after opening the season with eight straight wins. That eight-game win streak to start the season marked the most by a defending World Series champion in MLB history.
Previously, the record was seven, set by the 1933 New York Yankees. Los Angeles’ lineup, however, was silenced for much of the night. Left-handed Phillies pitcher Jesús Luzardo tossed seven scoreless innings, and it wasn’t until Tommy Edman hit a two-run homer in the top of the eighth that the Dodgers were finally on the board. After coming from behind on several occasions to start the 2025 MLB season, the Dodgers couldn’t pull out the magic as they did
against the Detroit Tigers and Atlanta Braves. The mistakes and early errors don’t help. In the first inning against Philadelphia, starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto went to look Trea Turner back to second base. Turner broke for third, and as third baseman Miguel Rojas went to cover the bag, Yamamoto threw behind him.
