The Los Angeles Dodgers dropped a second consecutive game to the Atlanta Braves on Saturday as they were stymied by National League Cy Young Award favorite Chris Sale.
The left-hander held the Dodgers to just one run and five hits in six innings of work. He collected six strikeouts and walked two batters, including Shohei Ohtani to lead off the game.
It was the only time Ohtani reached base as he continues the chase for the first 50-50 season in MLB history.
Sale said after the Braves’ 10-1 win that he tried to make it difficult for Ohtani to put the barrel on the ball, via Sean Holohan of the Associated Press:
“He’s a special player, and when he gets barrel to the ball it’s going to be hard,” Sale said. “With what he’s done this year, if he gets the ball in the air, it’s probably not going to be good for me, so I’m really just trying to throw swing and miss pitches from the first pitch of the game.”
Ohtani finished 0-for-2 with the walk and was one of several regulars removed after the top of the seventh due to the blowout.
Ohtani is now 0-for-6 over his last two games since hitting his NL-leading 47th home run on Wednesday against the Chicago Cubs. He remains three home runs and two stolen bases away from joining the 50-50 club.
The Dodgers have 14 games remaining on their regular-season schedule and won’t rest Ohtani as long as he is pursuing MLB history.
Will Shohei Ohtani pitch in postseason?
Ohtani has exclusively served as the Dodgers’ designated hitter as he recovers from last offseason’s elbow surgery.
The two-way star is not expected to pitch this season but manager Dave Roberts left open the possibility of him returning to the mound in October. Though, Roberts continued to maintain that the chances of him doing so are highly unlikely.
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