Shohei Ohtani snapped an 11-game homerless stretch with a 398-foot, 106-mph line drive to left-center, part of a night in which he also singled, drew a walk and was robbed of another hit in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 6-2 loss to the San Francisco Giants, the report says.
The report says Ohtani had taken batting practice outdoors the day before and worked with catching coordinator Rocky Gale, who was throwing a two-seamer that moves away from left-handers. Ohtani believed seeing that pitch and focusing on keeping his front shoulder closed while driving to the opposite field might unlock his swing, and the approach produced the long drive in the third inning.
Manager Dave Roberts said the burden is not Ohtani’s alone, and the report notes the Dodgers have lost four in a row and scored three runs or fewer in 10 of their last 13 games. Roberts also told Ohtani he would be left out of the lineup on back-to-back nights for an upcoming pitching start and the series finale, a rare step for the player who, outside of paternity and injury list stints, had not missed consecutive lineups since 2021, per the report.
The report outlines the offensive struggles that preceded the outburst: in his first 10 games this month Ohtani had three singles and one double in 36 at-bats, roughly half of his batted balls were grounders, his batting average had fallen to .233 — described as his lowest mark at least 40 games into a season since 2020 — and his OPS had slipped to .767, the lowest in May since 2022. Roberts suggested fatigue was affecting Ohtani’s mechanics, and hitting coach Aaron Bates said the focus had been on getting shoulders and legs to align so he could “uncoil correctly on the ball,” the report says.
The report also highlights Ohtani’s pitching excellence, noting a 0.97 ERA with 42 strikeouts and nine walks in 37 innings, and that some evaluators believe the emphasis on pitching may have contributed to the hitting decline. After his multifeatured night at the plate, the team came away thinking their best hitter might be finding his way back, per the report.
