Dodgers lean into Shohei Ohtani-only pitching strategy

Dodgers lean into Shohei Ohtani-only pitching strategy originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani had one of his best starts of the 2026 season when he struck out 10 batters in the 8-2 win against the New York Mets .

Ohtani pitched six innings and gave up only two hits for one earned run. The Mets gave Ohtani a headache in the fifth when MJ Melendez hit a RBI double, but he was a class apart the rest of the time. Ohtani was given a rest from hitting, and he appeared more focused, according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.

"I thought it was a good decision, you know, to have Shohei just focus on pitching and did a heck of a job tonight," Roberts said. "You know, him just focusing on one thing and, you know, I thought that just channeling all that energy into pitching was helpful. And, you know, the last couple of outings, I felt he was fighting himself a little bit at times.

But tonight, he was really good, and I think even the fifth inning got a little bit wonky, but he kind of reined it back in and then came back out for the sixth and was really good. " Dave Roberts on Shohei Ohtani tonight Said focusing only on pitching made a difference Also talked Rushing’s big night and Kim continuing to produce https://t. co/HqcospMrf2 — DodgersBeat | Dodgers News & Interviews (@DodgersBeat) April 16, 2026 Roberts could maybe ponder the idea of making this a strategy where Ohtani can rest on days when he is needed in pitching.