When Shohei Ohtani took the mound at the beginning of the week for his second start as a pitcher this season, there was an expectation he pitch more than one inning.
However, he again only completed the one frame despite efficiently doing so on 18 pitches and looking sharper than from his Dodgers pitching debut.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after the game the plan was always for Ohtani to pitch just the one inning, reinforcing what has been said previously about Ohtani building up in every start not being a guarantee.
The main focus at the moment is giving Ohtani a solid foundation once he inevitably does begin to stretch out his starts. The Dodgers are aware that his two-way responsibilities are incredible taxing, and so they are continuing to be cautious, just as they have been throughout this process.
“I think it’s just more of trying to get the foundation and building blocks as he’s taking at-bats, getting an inning here, an inning there,” Roberts explained. “Just gradually progress. Erring on the side of caution.
“I don’t know if in his next one we’re going to go an up-down potentially, or just one inning. I’m not sure. I think going into today’s game, we felt really comfortable with the one inning.”
The Dodgers have been involving Ohtani in the decision-making process, especially during the conversations that led up to his first start of the season. Communications with Ohtani will remain key as he continues to build up, but for now both parties are in no rush.
“I think right now he’s good with one inning. All of this is conversations we have with him obviously, so he’s understanding where he’s at, where we’re at, and appreciating the fact that as time goes on we’ll get to a certain point,” Roberts said.
“But there’s no sense in rushing him right now.”
Shohei Ohtani sets lofty goal
Now that Ohtani is back on the mound, he has less time to devote to hitting preparation compared to last season. But he has expressed confidence of being able to be a better two-way player than he was in the past.
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