Should Shohei Ohtani hit on pitching days? Dodgers loss rekindles debate
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani (17) reacts after a pitch in the fifth inning against the Miami Marlins at Dodger Stadium. LOS ANGELES — The result will get filed as a frustrating 2–1 loss, the kind that lingers longer than most in April. But inside the Dodgers clubhouse, Tuesday night felt less like a referendum on one game and more like a snapshot of a larger, evolving question: just how much of Shohei Ohtani should this team use, and when?
Because for six innings at Dodger Stadium, Ohtani once again looked like the most reliable answer the Dodgers have. Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani (17) delivers to the plate in the fifth inning against the Miami Marlins at Dodger Stadium. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani (17) delivers to the plate in the fifth inning against the Miami Marlins at Dodger Stadium.
He wasn’t dominant in the aesthetic sense. By his own admission, the “stuff” wasn’t crisp. The command wavered just enough to create traffic.
And yet, the line he left behind, six innings, five hits, one earned run, nine strikeouts, reads like a template he’s now repeating with startling consistency. Five starts into his season, Ohtani hasn’t just been good; he’s been historically steady, carving out a floor most pitchers spend careers chasing. And still, he took the loss.
“For him to navigate six innings and give up only two hits, we should win the game,” Roberts said. That disconnect between individual brilliance and team outcome, was the story of the night. The Dodgers loaded the bases in the first and got nothing.
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