Shohei Ohtani Shines on the Mound, But Dodgers’ Bullpen Causes Concern
PHOENIX – Shohei Ohtani is showing himself as a dominant force on the mound for the Los Angeles Dodgers, as the final phase of the baseball season approaches. However, the team’s bullpen continues to be a weak point.
The two-way star had his third consecutive scoreless outing on Tuesday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks, pitching six innings, the most this season, and striking out eight batters.
The Dodgers were leading 4-0 when Ohtani left the game, but the Diamondbacks rallied against the bullpen to secure a 5-4 victory.
Arizona was losing 4-3 entering the ninth inning, before Jorge Barrosa tied the game with a sacrifice fly to left field. Then, Geraldo Perdomo singled with two outs to left field, driving in Tim Tawa from second base for the winning run.
Ohtani, 31, has been gradually increasing his pitch count as he returns from elbow surgery that kept him off the mound for the entire 2024 season. He threw 91 pitches, the most in his career, in his 100th MLB start.
The right-handed pitcher kept his fastball consistently between 98 and 100 mph, reaching 101.2 on one pitch and often dominating Diamondbacks hitters. He allowed five hits, all singles. He also started an athletic double play to end the fifth inning, quickly coming off the mound to field a soft grounder from James McCann and throw to Tommy Edman at second, who then threw to first.
Ohtani, who has hit 53 home runs this season, batted first and went 0-for-3 with a walk in his four plate appearances.
In his previous start, on September 16 against the Philadelphia Phillies, Ohtani pitched five hitless innings.
