Shohei Ohtani left his seventh start as a pitcher this season with some cause for concern.
The Los Angeles Dodgers star pitched into the fourth inning for the first time this season as he slowly ramps up in his return from UCL surgery in 2023, but exited the game mid-plate appearance after throwing six straight balls against the Cincinnati Reds.
Ohtani didn't appear to be in pain, but he was clearly frustrated after walking Tyler Stephenson on four pitches and falling behind 2-0 against Spencer Steer. The Reds playing Daniel Powter's "Bad Day" didn't help.
Ohtani was replaced on the mound by reliever Anthony Banda and remained in the dugout, with no one attending to him as Banda resumed play against Steer. Ohtani's final line: 3+ innings, five hits, two earned runs, two walks, four strikeouts and a season-high 51 pitches.
It's clear the Dodgers were worried about something, though not enough to stop Ohtani from staying in the game as a hitter. He took his next at-bat in the sixth inning with no apparent issue.
After playing 2024 exclusively as a designated hitter, Ohtani made his debut as a Dodgers pitcher in June as a single-inning opener and has gradually increased his workload since then. He didn't throw a second inning until his third start and didn't reach the third inning until his fifth start.
The Dodgers have seemingly been as cautious with him as humanly possible, given that even a minor setback on the mound could cost them their most valuable player and biggest draw for however long it takes him to get right. With the team still in first place in the NL West, their two priorities are a) keeping his MVP-level bat in the lineup and b) having him ready to make a full start in the postseason, two months from now.
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