Shohei Ohtani completed five innings and recorded a season-high nine strikeouts against the Cincinnati Reds. Previous starts were shortened: one removed in Anaheim with one out in the fifth inning and another cut short at Coors Field after a line-drive struck his right thigh, resulting in five runs allowed in four innings. Ohtani sustained only bruising and remained in the lineup, staying on track to make his 11th start. Entering the game he was 0-1 with a 4.61 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 11.5 strikeouts per nine. He threw 18 pitches in the first inning, topping out at 98.9 mph.
The Dodgers had previously hoped Ohtani would pitch five innings against the Los Angeles Angels and Colorado Rockies, respectively. He was tracking to do so in Anaheim before running into trouble and being removed with one out in the fifth inning. Then Ohtani's start at Coors Field, which was his most recent outing, was cut short in part because of being hit in the right thigh by a line-drive comebacker. Ohtani allowed a season-high five runs on nine hits in just four innings.
"The strikeout to walk ratio is really good," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before the game. "I think he's just made a couple bad pitches. I think the Denver start was an outlier as far as the altitude. I just think he's still throwing the ball well and he's healthy. "I do expect a really good one out of him today."
Ohtani's first pitch of the night was lined into left field for a leadoff single. He then struck out the next two batters before getting Austin Hays to fly out for a scoreless first inning. Ohtani threw 18 pitches in the inning, and his fastest was a 98.9 four-seam fastball to Elly De La Cruz. More inefficiency and struggles came in the second inning as Ohtani walked Spencer Steer with one out and threw a wild pitch.
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