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Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani ends strikeout-filled…

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Los Angeles Dodgers |
Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani ends strikeout-filled slump

Ohtani struck out 15 times in 29 at-bats before Saturday, with Manager Dave Roberts saying the superstar has been chasing too many pitches below the strike zone

Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers high fives teammates after hitting a solo home run against the Milwaukee Brewers in the eighth inning of a baseball game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, July 6, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers high fives teammates after hitting a solo home run against the Milwaukee Brewers in the eighth inning of a baseball game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, July 6, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Bill Plunkett. Sports. Angels Reporter. // MORE INFORMATION: Associate Mug Shot taken August 26, 2010 : by KATE LUCAS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
By | bplunkett@scng.com | Orange County Register
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Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers is showered with sunflower seeds after hitting a solo home run against the Milwaukee Brewers in the eighth inning of a baseball game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, July 6, 2024. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)

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LOS ANGELES — It wasn’t a happy birthday.

Shohei Ohtani turned 30 on Friday night by going 0 for 5 and striking out in his first three at-bats, extending a career-long streak of strikeouts to six consecutive at-bats.

The strikeouts had multiplied recently. Going into Saturday, Ohtani was 6 for 29 (.207) with 15 strikeouts in the previous seven games.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has diagnosed the problem.

“Chasing down,” Roberts said of Ohtani’s swing decisions. “It’s that simple.”

Correcting it is a little more difficult but Roberts said he was confident in Ohtani making the adjustment.

“I think Shohei knows that he’s being too aggressive on the ball down below,” Roberts said. “(Saturday’s Brewers starter Freddy) Peralta is a guy that elevates the fastball, doesn’t throw the ball down very often. So I think it lines up really well with Shohei – albeit he’s a really good pitcher.

“I think that Shohei is very well aware of what he’s doing. And so I do think that you know, from here going forward, we’re going to see a little bit of a reset, controlling the strike zone.”

Roberts’ confidence was justified. Ohtani course-corrected successfully Saturday. He reached base five times on two walks, a hit by pitch, a 101-mph laser off the wall in right-center field for a triple and a 430-foot home run.

“Hitting is very difficult,” Roberts said. “Certainly when you’re Shohei … guys are going to bring their best when they face him. But I think for him, just simplifying where is good in the strike zone, then the natural ability takes over and I’ve just never seen anything like it.”

Roberts has said he believes that plate discipline and controlling the strike zone is key for Ohtani and has been a topic of conversation between him and Ohtani at other points during this season. But he left Ohtani to his own devices this time.

“I just felt that he was going to be able to reset himself,” Roberts said after the game. “He took a couple walks, got the ball over the zone and he was back to being Shohei.”

INJURY UPDATES

Left-hander Clayton Kershaw will throw to hitters in a simulated-game setting on Sunday morning at Dodger Stadium. Kershaw could resume his rehab assignment after that and make two starts before he and the Dodgers’ decision-makers “have a conversation … if it makes sense, for him to join us.”

Roberts wouldn’t characterize it as a setback, but he said third baseman Max Muncy is no longer swinging a bat as part of his workouts. Muncy had started hitting off a tee and coaches’ soft tossing last week but continues to experience problems with his strained oblique muscle.

“He’s had additional scans and nothing has kind of come up,” Roberts said. “I wouldn’t say setback. I would just say more of there’s no progression. It just continues to remain stagnant as far as kind of this discomfort, soreness, so we just haven’t been allowed to continue to progress because he just has that same sensation.

“Everything he does turning and rotating is good except swinging the bat. So that’s kind of the weird thing. He has stopped swinging the bat.”

Relief pitcher Joe Kelly (shoulder) will continue his rehab assignment with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga. Kelly has thrown just 18 pitches in two scoreless innings in his first two outings.

Ryan Brasier (calf) and Brusdar Graterol (shoulder) are rehabbing at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona, but neither is near returning.

UP NEXT

Brewers (LHP Dallas Keuchel, 0-0, 6.75 ERA) at Dodgers (LHP Justin Wrobelski, MLB debut), Sunday, 1:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, 570 AM

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