Shohei Ohtani did his usual toe-tap before planting his front foot firmly in the batter’s box in the fifth inning Saturday night, his body remaining upright and balanced as he unleashed a violent swing and sent a 111.9-mph laser into the right-field bullpen in Busch Stadium for his 38th home run of the season.
Maybe that will be the swing that gets the Dodgers slugger out of a three-week slump, or maybe not. The leadoff man has hit .147 (11 for 75) in 18 games since July 28, but six of those hits have left the yard, so it’s not as if the occasional long ball has helped Ohtani lock in at the plate.
At this point, after Saturday night’s 5-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, about all the Dodgers can do is hope that swing leads to more, because if they are to hold off San Diego and Arizona in the National League West, they’re going to need their $700-million man to produce more like he did in the first four months of the season.
Ohtani hit .309 with a 1.028 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, 32 homers, 28 doubles and 76 RBIs through July and was in the running for a triple crown in late July when his bat suddenly went cold.
The two-time American League most valuable player entered Saturday having hit .139 (10 for 72) with a .601 OPS, five homers, one double, one triple, 10 RBIs, 18 strikeouts and seven walks in 17 games since July 28.
“I think the plate discipline is just not what it is when he’s right,” manager Dave Roberts said. “His walk percentage, I’m sure, in the last three weeks, is considerably down. I think the swing decisions aren’t as good as they have been.”
Is Ohtani not seeing the ball well?
“I don’t know,” Roberts said. “At times, I think he’s out front. At times, he’s getting beat a little bit. He might be a little bit in between. I think he’s losing his foundation, his base, his connection to the ground, a little bit.
“That’s never a good sign for a hitter. When you’re more into the ground, I think that’s when all hitters are at their best. I do think there’s a little bit of, he’s on ice skates a little bit more than he typically is.”
Could fatigue be a factor?
“I don’t know,” Roberts said. “I remember David Ortiz playing every day as a [designated hitter], and Shohei is in a lot better shape than David. I wouldn’t think, when you’re taking four at-bats a night as a DH, that fatigue shouldn’t be a factor.”
Ohtani, who walked, stole second and scored on Freddie Freeman’s single in the first inning, struck out in the third and flied to left field in the eighth, is in his first pennant race after playing six seasons in which the Angels never had a winning record. Could he be pressing as the National League West race tightens up?
“That’s certainly a possibility, but that’s for Shohei to answer,” Roberts said. “You’re not going to hit homers if you’re walking, but you have a chance to help your team win if you’re swinging at strikes. That’s something I don’t feel I should answer. That’s up to him. But it’s a fair question.”
One thing Ohtani won’t get is a day off. Roberts also said he has no plans to move Mookie Betts back to the leadoff spot and Ohtani to the second spot, the alignment the Dodgers used for the first 2 ½ months of the season before Betts suffered a left-hand fracture that sidelined him for seven weeks.
“No, Mookie’s been great,” Roberts said, “and Shohei has been great in the leadoff spot outside of the last few weeks.”
Bobby Miller, whose season was interrupted by a two-month stint on the injured list because of shoulder inflammation and a demotion to triple A, made his first start since July 9, keeping the Dodgers in the game but not really pitching well enough to win.
Pitching in place of the injured Tyler Glasnow, Miller gave up four runs and eight hits, including Alec Burleson’s two-run homer in the third inning and Masyn Winn’s solo shot in the fifth, in 4 ⅔ innings, striking out one —matching his lowest whiff total in 30 career starts — walking one and throwing four wild pitches.
Miller’s fastball velocity faded throughout the game, slipping from 99 mph in the first inning to 96-97 mph in the third, fourth and fifth, and he struggled to throw his curveball and changeup consistently for strikes.
Miller, who had a breakout rookie season in 2023, going 11-4 with a 3.76 ERA in 22 starts, with 119 strikeouts and 32 walks in 123 ⅓ innings, is now 1-3 with an 8.02 ERA in six starts this season.
Short hops
Freeman was due to lead off the top of the ninth but was pulled in the bottom of the eighth after jamming a finger on his throwing hand while awkwardly fielding a Nolan Gorman ground ball in the sixth inning … Reliever Ryan Brasier, sidelined since late April because of a right-calf strain, was activated and recorded four straight outs in the fifth and sixth innings. To clear roster spots for Brasier and Miller, the Dodgers optioned left-hander Justin Wrobleski, who threw five innings in a spot-start Friday night, and reliever Michael Grove to triple A.
