Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts saw a physically compromised Shohei Ohtani at the plate on Wednesday night when the four-time Most Valuable Player was 0 for 4 with four strikeouts.
He plans to have a conversation with the training staff and Ohtani to “really try to figure out where he’s at physically” and weigh giving him a day off, although Roberts said he does not think a stint on the injured list is necessary.
“I saw the same thing that everyone saw,” Roberts said after an 8-6 loss in 10 innings to the St Louis Cardinals. “You could see the swing wasn’t the swing that we’re used to seeing. He’s not close to optimal.”
Photo: AFP
The two-way superstar has not pitched in a game since July 3 because of lingering pain in his left knee and right biceps, which might be affecting his offense. He is hitting .279 after striking out four consecutive times for the first time this season.
“I know he feels that he needs to post and be in the lineup and if he’s upright he should play,” Roberts said. “I respect that, but if he’s feeling the way that he visibly looks, then it’s really not helping anyone.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Roberts said he had no indication that Ohtani was physically ailing.
Photo: AFP
“I’ve seen it over the last couple weeks where he hasn’t been who he is,” the manager said after the game.
Ohtani has not spoken to the media in two weeks.
The Dodgers remain uncertain whether Ohtani will pitch again this season.
In Minneapolis, Taiwanese infielder Lee Hao-yu extended his hit streak to three games with an RBI single as the Detroit Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins 11-6 to avoid a series sweep.
After striking out at his first two at-bats against Dean Kremer, Lee, who was playing second base, singled a ground ball to center field for Kevin McGonigle to score taking the game to 3-1.
Spencer Torkelson hit a two-run home run in the 12th inning and Javier Baez added a bases-clearing double as the Tigers salvaged the final game of the three-game series.
In Washington, Ronald Acuna Jr hit a three-run homer to become the fastest player in major league history to reach 200 home runs and 200 stolen bases, as the Atlanta Braves beat the Nationals 9-0.
Elsewhere, the Arizona Diamondbacks avoided a series sweep with a 1-0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies, the Cincinnati Reds beat the San Diego Padres 7-3, the Colorado Rockies edged the Baltimore Orioles 6-5 in 11 innings and the Toronto Blue Jays blanked the Cleveland Guardians 11-0.
The San Francisco Giants sank the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-4 in 10 innings, the Houston Astros outplayed the Chicago White Sox 2-0, the Seattle Mariners defeated the Boston Red Sox 8-3, the New York Mets beat the Tampa Bay Rays 10-4 and the Athletics avoided a three-game sweep with a 9-2 win over the Texas Rangers.
The Miami Marlins rallied to defeat the Kansas City Royals 9-6, the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Chicago Cubs 9-5 and the New York Yankees downed the Los Angeles Angels 6-3 in 10 innings.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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