Latest news with #ShoheiOhtani
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani shooting to increase pitching workload vs. Reds
July 30 - One day after a rare bad night at the plate, Shohei Ohtani will try his luck on the mound and attempt to help the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers complete a three-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night. For just the sixth time in his career, the Dodgers' star slugger struck out four times, and he narrowly missed striking out a fifth time in a 5-4, come-from-behind win Tuesday over the Reds, clinching a series win. Ohtani (0-0, 1.50 ERA) will make his seventh start of the season. The right-hander has been building his arm strength coming off major elbow surgery in September 2023. He did not pitch last season. After two starts of an inning apiece, Ohtani went two innings in his third and fourth starts. Then, in his past two, he pitched three innings. Last Monday at home against the Minnesota Twins, he allowed one run on four hits in a 5-2 Los Angeles win. In his only other previous start against Cincinnati, Ohtani, then with the Los Angeles Angels, threw 1 1/3 shutout innings before leaving Game 1 of a doubleheader on Aug. 23, 2023. He departed after feeling tenderness in his right arm. It would be his final pitching appearance before his surgery. The Dodgers hope to extend Ohtani's innings count to four on Wednesday. The Reds, trying to avoid being swept in a series for the first time in 2025, will counter with right-hander Nick Martinez (9-9, 4.69 ERA), making his 22nd start of the season. After starting the season 4-8, Martinez has won five of his past six starts, including his past three. Last Friday, he allowed two runs on four hits in five innings in Cincinnati's 7-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. The Reds have not been swept in their first 34 series of the year, eclipsing the previous club record of 32 series set in 1970. The Reds are the only team in the majors not to suffer a series sweep this season. They also have avoided being swept in the series finale five times, including most recently on July 23 against the Washington Nationals. Tuesday night, the Reds led 3-2 in the fifth when they loaded the bases with none out and added only one run to take a 4-2 lead. The Dodgers tied the game in the seventh and won it in the ninth. "It would have been nice if we could have spread it out, for sure, just because of what happened," Cincinnati manager Terry Francona said. "They blooped a ball into right, and then we moved guys back so the second run doesn't score, and then a ball falls in front." While Ohtani was struggling at the plate Tuesday night, Dodgers catcher Will Smith picked up the slack. He drove in the go-ahead run with a double in the ninth inning and finished with two hits to raise his average to a National League-best .325. Smith is also hitting .373 with runners in scoring position, second in the major leagues. "It's honestly just the same approach I have all the time," he said. "[I'm] just trying to get a pitch to hit and then move forward." "He just has a great way of controlling the strike zone, not chasing, and he knows how to get a base hit," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. --Field Level Media
New York Times
5 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Shohei Ohtani is on double duty Wednesday. Here's how to watch him hit and pitch in Cincinnati
Shohei Ohtani is at the plate and on the mound once again. Perhaps your coffee spot's barista will also become your bartender today. Maybe your pet dog will put in a few hours as a cat. Ohtani's two-way turns bring extra attention to any given game, and Wednesday night's tilt between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds has national, regional and local viewing options. Somewhere, Decoy wags his tail and Mr. Redlegs twirls his mustache. Ohtani's previous pitching adventure was a mixed bag, at least by his superhuman standards. In three innings of home work against the Minnesota Twins, he was tagged with five base runners (four hits, one walk) and gave up his first home run of the season (Byron Buxton, a deep shot to left-center). He also struck out three batters and did enough as an opener to put his Dodgers in winning position. A homer in support of himself helped, too: When your pitcher homers too! 🔥 — Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 22, 2025 The NL West-leading Dodgers are 4-2 in Ohtani starts this season, and Ohtani hits Cincy with a 1.50 ERA across 12 frames. He averaged 24.3 pitches in his June outings, but has bumped that mark up to 37.7 in July. The three-time MVP has also enjoyed a torrid month in the batter's box, and comes into Wednesday night as the league's No. 1 hitter in run value, expected slugging, barrel rate and hard-hit percentage. Advertisement His teammates have tapered off into a midsummer lull, though. Mookie Betts has hovered around the Mendoza Line in his last 30 days of action, and Freddie Freeman's strikeouts have increased each month. Teoscar Hernández and Tommy Edman have both fallen off their home run paces. Michael Conforto, the starting lineup's clear weak link since Opening Day, carries a negative WAR into August. Los Angeles will look to bolster its bullpen at the trade deadline, but it could certainly use another bat amid the recent power outage. Cincinnati finds itself jostling for a potential wild-card spot but sits in third place in the crowded NL Central. The Reds lead MLB in ERA+, which adjusts for park factors. The offense is above league averages in runs, hits and on-base percentage. Elly De La Cruz is one of the sport's most thrilling and heartening watches, still rounding into his game at age 23. And if nothing else, the team has the Terry Francona factor — their manager famously broke Boston's World Series drought back in 2004, then in 2016 helped Cleveland earn its first pennant of the 21st century. Cincinnati last won a playoff series in 1995, and has just four playoff appearances in the time since. Ohtani is countered by right-hander Nick Martinez (9–9, 4.69 ERA). That ERA is inflated by a disastrous July 8 outing versus the Miami Marlins (10 earned runs in five innings). His fastball comes in at just 92.5 mph, and he's in the 3 percentile for offspeed run value. Ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication. (Photo of Shohei Ohtani: Harry How / Getty Images)
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dodgers look to sweep 3-game series against the Reds
Los Angeles Dodgers (63-45, first in the NL West) vs. Cincinnati Reds (56-52, third in the NL Central) Cincinnati; Wednesday, 7:10 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Dodgers: Shohei Ohtani (0-0, 1.50 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 13 strikeouts); Reds: Nick Martinez (9-9, 4.69 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 86 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Dodgers -177, Reds +148; over/under is 9 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Los Angeles Dodgers and the Cincinnati Reds square off in the last game of a three-game series. The Dodgers will sweep the series with a win. Cincinnati is 56-52 overall and 31-24 in home games. The Reds have the ninth-ranked team batting average in the NL at .246. Los Angeles is 63-45 overall and 28-24 in road games. The Dodgers are 43-18 in games when they record at least eight hits. The matchup Wednesday is the third meeting between these teams this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Matt McLain has 11 doubles, 11 home runs and 36 RBIs for the Reds. Tyler Stephenson is 10 for 38 with two doubles and two home runs over the past 10 games. Will Smith has 17 doubles, a triple and 14 home runs for the Dodgers. Ohtani is 11 for 41 with a double and six home runs over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Reds: 5-5, .242 batting average, 3.62 ERA, outscored opponents by six runs Dodgers: 5-5, .254 batting average, 3.99 ERA, outscored opponents by three runs INJURIES: Reds: Ian Gibaut: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Wade Miley: 15-Day IL (flexor), Rhett Lowder: 60-Day IL (forearm), Hunter Greene: 15-Day IL (groin), Carson Spiers: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Tyler Callihan: 60-Day IL (forearm), Brandon Williamson: 60-Day IL (elbow), Julian Aguiar: 60-Day IL (elbow) Dodgers: Hyeseong Kim: 10-Day IL (shoulder), Tanner Scott: 15-Day IL (elbow), Michael Kopech: 60-Day IL (knee), Kike Hernandez: 10-Day IL (elbow), Max Muncy: 10-Day IL (knee), Roki Sasaki: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Tony Gonsolin: 60-Day IL (elbow), Evan Phillips: 60-Day IL (forearm), Blake Snell: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Kyle Hurt: 60-Day IL (elbow), Michael Grove: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Brusdar Graterol: 60-Day IL (shoulder), River Ryan: 60-Day IL (elbow), Gavin Stone: 60-Day IL (shoulder) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Associated Press
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Dodgers look to sweep 3-game series against the Reds
Los Angeles Dodgers (63-45, first in the NL West) vs. Cincinnati Reds (56-52, third in the NL Central) Cincinnati; Wednesday, 7:10 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Dodgers: Shohei Ohtani (0-0, 1.50 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 13 strikeouts); Reds: Nick Martinez (9-9, 4.69 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 86 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Dodgers -177, Reds +148; over/under is 9 1/2 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Los Angeles Dodgers and the Cincinnati Reds square off in the last game of a three-game series. The Dodgers will sweep the series with a win. Cincinnati is 56-52 overall and 31-24 in home games. The Reds have the ninth-ranked team batting average in the NL at .246. Los Angeles is 63-45 overall and 28-24 in road games. The Dodgers are 43-18 in games when they record at least eight hits. The matchup Wednesday is the third meeting between these teams this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Matt McLain has 11 doubles, 11 home runs and 36 RBIs for the Reds. Tyler Stephenson is 10 for 38 with two doubles and two home runs over the past 10 games. Will Smith has 17 doubles, a triple and 14 home runs for the Dodgers. Ohtani is 11 for 41 with a double and six home runs over the past 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Reds: 5-5, .242 batting average, 3.62 ERA, outscored opponents by six runs Dodgers: 5-5, .254 batting average, 3.99 ERA, outscored opponents by three runs INJURIES: Reds: Ian Gibaut: 15-Day IL (shoulder), Wade Miley: 15-Day IL (flexor), Rhett Lowder: 60-Day IL (forearm), Hunter Greene: 15-Day IL (groin), Carson Spiers: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Tyler Callihan: 60-Day IL (forearm), Brandon Williamson: 60-Day IL (elbow), Julian Aguiar: 60-Day IL (elbow) Dodgers: Hyeseong Kim: 10-Day IL (shoulder), Tanner Scott: 15-Day IL (elbow), Michael Kopech: 60-Day IL (knee), Kike Hernandez: 10-Day IL (elbow), Max Muncy: 10-Day IL (knee), Roki Sasaki: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Tony Gonsolin: 60-Day IL (elbow), Evan Phillips: 60-Day IL (forearm), Blake Snell: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Kyle Hurt: 60-Day IL (elbow), Michael Grove: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Brusdar Graterol: 60-Day IL (shoulder), River Ryan: 60-Day IL (elbow), Gavin Stone: 60-Day IL (shoulder) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Washington Post
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
Ohtani strikes out 4 times; Will Smith's RBI double in 9th gives Dodgers 5-4 win over Reds
CINCINNATI — Will Smith had an RBI double in the ninth inning as the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied for a 5-4 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night. Shohei Ohtani struck out four times in a major league game for the sixth time, but it was the first time it happened in his first four at-bats. The reigning NL MVP also had a nine-game hitting streak snapped.
