The Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani had a rough outing against the Colorado Rockies yesterday after giving up five earned runs through four innings and taking a line drive to the thigh. Thankfully for LA, manager Dave Roberts is “confident” that Ohtani will be able to play tomorrow.
“We’ll see how he comes out of it. Guys get hit all the time by a pitcher, and, obviously, not by a batted ball,” Roberts said during a postgame interview. “But, I’m hopeful [and] confident.”
Before taking the hit, Ohtani was already having a bad day. In the bottom of the second inning, he gave up two earned runs to put the Rockies ahead 2-0. He also allowed one more earned run in the fourth inning before taking the line drive to his leg.
“I just don’t think, today, Shohei had his best stuff,” explained Dave Roberts. “The fastball wasn’t as good as it typically is. The breaking ball wasn’t as sharp, and the cutter, the same thing. I just that think today just wasn’t his night.”
With one out in the bottom of the fourth, Rockies shortstop Orlando Arcia hit a 93 mph line drive that struck Ohtani in the right leg, causing him to wince in pain as he unsuccessfully attempted to throw out the runner at first base. Despite having a noticeable limp, Ohtani finished out the inning and allowed two more runs to give Colorado a 5-0 lead.
“I took him out because, a little bit, the score. Most part of it because it was getting stiff, and there was some swelling there,” Roberts clarified after ending Ohtani’s night before the fifth inning. “It was in the thigh, fortunately, and not off the knee, but it got him square.”
“I got hit in the same spot [I was] hit by a pitch,” Ohtani said through a translator after the game. “Right now, it feels pretty good. I’m gonna do everything in my ability to ensure that it doesn’t affect me moving forward.”
Ohtani was able to reaffirm Dave Roberts’ confidence by saying that he plans to play tomorrow against the San Diego Padres.
“That’s my intention,” he said when asked if he would be in the lineup on Friday. “[I’m] just making sure I get my treatment. The goal is to make sure that I’m back to normal again.”
Being the competitor that he is, Shohei Ohtani wanted to talk more about his poor pitching performance than his health.
“It’s very regrettable,” he said. “Put the team in a bad spot. It was just a very regrettable outing that I wish I could’ve done better.”
Either way, it sounds like Shohei Ohtani is lucky that he didn’t suffer a more serious injury.
“I’m glad that it didn’t hit the knee,” he said. “I think we avoided the worst-case scenario.”
The Dodgers close out their four-game road-trip against the Rockies this afternoon. The first pitch in that one is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. EDT.
