The Los Angeles Dodgers celebrated Shohei Ohtani’s first pitching win Wednesday, and manager Dave Roberts said there could be more where that came from.
Roberts reported a potential slight shift in Ohtani’s pitch ceiling after he picked up his first win for the Dodgers in their 5-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds.
Ohtani went five innings and allowed two hits, two walks and one run on Noelvi Marte’s third-inning homer, while striking out a season-high nine batters. He also threw a season-high 87 pitches and improved to 1-1 in 11 starts.
What Did Dave Roberts Say About Shohei Ohtani’s Innings Limit?
Ohtani lowered his ERA to 4.18 and scored as many runs as he allowed Wednesday, showcasing once again what makes him perhaps the most special player in baseball history.
Yet, Roberts hinted at the Dodgers loosening the reins on his innings limit, which they have set at five per outing, in the near future.
This was only the second time all season he pitched into the fifth inning, as he builds up in his rehab from a UCL tear in his throwing elbow, but it will not be the last, since Roberts said “for now” when asked if five innings was Ohtani’s ceiling.
“Early on, getting his sea legs back and getting going, it takes a while,” Roberts said. “I think a great thing about Shohei is, when he’s right, he can command four or five pitches. When you’re trying to go through a lineup three or times you’ve got to some different pitches and sequences
“To continue to build him up and give us options continue if we want to get a little bit more length out of him is certainly more helpful. But this is a good marker to get to 90 pitches through five innings.”
Roberts said Ohtani’s next outing would be the same, where they target a five-inning, 90-pitch limit. He theorized Ohtani would pitch Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.
What Did Dave Roberts Say About Shohei Ohtani’s Last Start?
The Dodgers were able to do something no team has this year: sweep the Reds.
Ohtani deserves most of the credit for that, since he looked like the ace-caliber starting pitcher Los Angeles signed him to be.
“Today was a complete performance from Shohei,” Roberts said. “Tonight was one of those nights where he was locked in and worked some things out and really got into a good rhythm.
“He used his curveball really well, and I thought [catcher] Dalton [Rushing] did a nice job of using his entire pitching mix. … The entire pitch mix got better as the game went on.”
To Roberts’ point, Ohtani threw seven different pitches but went to his curveball the most — he threw it 26 of his 87 pitches — even though that is not, traditionally, one of his strongest pitches.
“It’s just his feel for the game, for his pitches, it is truly remarkable,” Roberts said. “The curveball is not just something that goes right to left, it works the front to back, and that keeps hitters off the fastball and makes him just that much more tough to square up.
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