Shohei Ohtani continued his recent resurgence at the plate in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 10-1 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday afternoon.
The two-way star went 3-for-5 with an RBI, which marked his second consecutive multi-hit game and first three-hit performance since April 27.
Ohtani’s offensive success comes after he was held out of the Dodgers’ lineup for two consecutive games last week. Manager Dave Roberts felt the mental break was necessary to get the 31-year-old back on track.
“He just looks more refreshed,” Roberts said after the Freeway Series finale. “I think his at-bats, he’s grinding more. He has the capacity to do that.
“I think the swing is in a better place. He’s not trying to manufacture swing velocity by over-swinging. Even his last at-bat, that was just a clinic on taking the right at-bat.”
Ohtani went a combined 6-for-13 with two doubles, one triple and seven RBI in three games against the Angels. After the strong showing, Roberts expressed confidence that Ohtani is officially out of his slump.
“I’d like to think so. I hope so,” Roberts said. “We’ve got a fun series coming up and it’s good to see he’s swinging the bat well.”
Before finding success against his former Angels team, Ohtani had been mired in a 6-for-42 skid at the plate. He finally appears to be trending upward, which couldn’t come at a better time with the Dodgers set to begin an important three-game series against the San Diego Padres on Monday.
Shohei Ohtani disagrees with Dave Roberts
While Roberts felt that Ohtani benefited from having two consecutive days off as a hitter, the four-time MVP doesn’t necessarily see things the same way.
“I actually felt pretty good the day before I pitched, hitting-wise,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. “I think that helped more than the off days.”
Ohtani added: “I feel like the posture and set up is pretty much key to a lot of my success.”
Ohtani went 2-for-4 with a home run and walk against the San Francisco Giants before missing the next two games as a hitter. He followed up that performance by throwing seven scoreless innings on the mound to help the Dodgers snap a four-game losing streak.
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