Dave Roberts Details Shohei Ohtani Reaction to Breaking HR Duck

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani finally looked like himself again Tuesday, going 2-for-4 with a homer and a walk, and manager Dave Roberts described the emotional change he saw in the reigning MVP afterwards. Ohtani entered Tuesday’s game on an 11-game streak without a home run, and has struggled to put the ball in play since the beginning of the month. After he hit a leadoff single in the bottom of the first, Ohtani stepped up again in the bottom of the third inning and cleared the left-center field wall with a 106 mph line drive.

“Relief,” Roberts said when asked what he saw from Ohtani in the dugout afterwards. “He smiled, he laughed. I just think that he’s gonna feel good about the offensive side tonight.

… When your best player is doing what he’s capable of doing, it just adds that energy into the dugout and frees guys up a little bit, too. ” Despite Ohtani’s return to form, though, the Dodgers still ultimately lost the game —causing even more worries about the offense. May 12, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) acknowledges the Dodgers bullpen and runs the bases after hitting a one run home run against San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Adrian Houser (not pictured) during the third inning at Dodger Stadium.

Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Why Haven’t the Dodgers Been Able to Score Runs? The Dodgers have put together a few wins in May, but one of the bigger issues has been their ability to capitalize on favorable situations. “Our margins, even on the offensive side, are just more finite,” Roberts said after Tuesday’s loss .