HOUSTON, TEXAS - MAY 04: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers stands in the dugout in the first inning against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on May 04, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
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The Los Angeles Dodgers might be surprised to find themselves locked in such a tight battle for the National League Division lead with the San Diego Padres.
While the Padres have been one of the better teams in all of baseball in recent years and have enjoyed a healthy rivalry with the Dodgers, the two-time reigning World Series champions made significant improvements to their roster this past winter that seemed to put them in a league of their own.
By bringing in All-Star closer Edwin Diaz and five-tool superstar Kyle Tucker on top of their star-studded roster, the Dodgers seemed to be a virtual lock for a third straight title. But as the season has unfolded, they appear to have some weaknesses, including a less-than-Herculean version of Shohei Ohtani at the plate.
“It's so far been a down year at the plate for Ohtani, who's hitting .240 with a .796 OPS,” Ryan Morik wrote for Fox News. “Not including the truncated 2020 season, those would be the lowest marks of his career.”
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Though Ohtani has been relatively quiet at the plate, he is enjoying a resurgent season on the mound. And as the two-way superstar carries the Dodgers’ rotation while still contributing with his bat — albeit somewhat below his own prolific standards — his teammate Mookie Betts went on the record to defend him from critics who note his increasingly concerning offensive numbers.
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“If he doesn’t get a hit or he … maybe has a couple of bad games it’s like, ‘Well, what’s wrong with Shohei?’” Betts said on a recent episode of his “On Base” podcast. “Well, I mean, he did just go seven innings, two hits, he does have a 0.7 ERA. You forget all the other ways that he really affects the game… I’m glad he’s on our team.”
Ohtani started 14 games for the Dodgers last season, logging a 2.87 ERA, but he seems likely to eclipse that performance from the mound and could possibly post his best season as a pitcher yet. So far, he has a miniscule 0.82 ERA in seven total starts for the defending champions.
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But in a sign of just how much the team values his contributions to the batting order, it looks like they are preparing for him to resume his two-day duties soon, even as his batting and slugging averages hover at career lows.
“According to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, Ohtani will probably hit and pitch next time he is on the bump amid a season when he is not only struggling for consistency on offense but has also seen his status as both pitcher and hitter become a rare occurrence,” Gabe Saldivar wrote for USA Today. “The news comes during a crucial slate down south for the boys in blue, who find themselves 0.5 games back of their NL West counterparts (the Padres) after dropping Monday’s game, 1-0.”
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