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Shohei Ohtani pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers

Shohei Ohtani has been nearly untouchable for the Los Angeles Dodgers on the mound this season, but there is concern that regression is eventually coming.

The Athletic’s Grant Brisbee predicted Tuesday that Ohtani’s ERA will rise above 2.00 over the next two months despite his historic start to 2026. 

Ohtani entered the week carrying an ERA under 1.00 while continuing his two-way prowess as both a pitcher and hitter. But some underlying metrics suggest a little normalization could eventually arrive. His FIP currently sits nearly two runs higher than his ERA, signaling that some of the early dominance may not be fully sustainable in the coming weeks.

Expectations Remain High for the Champs

The Dodgers continue winning in ways that make them look every bit as dangerous as their previous two seasons.

Los Angeles entered the week at 33-20 following another strong start in the National League standings. Two wins have followed against the Colorado Rockies heading into Wednesday, where the star performer will take the mound for his ninth start of the year.

That said, maintaining a sub-1.00 ERA across a full season is almost impossible — even for an elite pitcher like Ohtani.

Dodgers Continue Finding Offensive Depth

Part of what makes Los Angeles so difficult to deal with is that production continues surfacing throughout the lineup beyond the obvious superstar names.

Andy Pages has become one of the early surprises of the Dodgers’ season after struggling during last year’s postseason. Pages is currently hitting .299 with an .882 OPS.

Max Muncy has also quietly delivered major production, hitting 12 home runs already. The depth is exactly why predictions surrounding Ohtani’s ERA do not necessarily change the bigger picture for Los Angeles.

For most pitchers, an ERA climbing above 2.00 would barely register as news. For Ohtani, it becomes worthy only because his current standard has looked incredible.

That is the strange reality surrounding his season already.

The Dodgers still appear firmly positioned near the top of the National League race, and Ohtani continues looking like both a Cy Young and MVP contender simultaneously.

Even if his ERA climbs over the next two months exactly as predicted, the Dodgers would almost certainly still view that as ace-level production.

At this point, Ohtani has already established himself as baseball’s most dominant force on the mound and at the plate. Now the focus shifts to whether anyone can slow him down before the Dodgers turn another powerhouse regular season into a serious World Series push.