CLEVELAND — The Dodgers’ recreation in opposition to the Guardians on Tuesday marked the primary time in three video games that Shohei Ohtani didn’t begin a recreation with a bang.
After hitting a leadoff house run in opposition to the Mets on Sunday and the Guardians on Monday, Ohtani started Tuesday’s recreation by putting out wanting on a Tanner Bibee fastball.
It was the final time that Bibee would make Ohtani look mortal.
After being deliberately walked by Bibee within the second inning, Ohtani slugged a 362-foot opposite-field house run within the fourth to extend Los Angeles’ result in 4-0 in what would turn out to be a 9-5 win.
With the house run, Ohtani turned the primary participant to succeed in 20 this season.
Tuesday’s recreation was the Dodgers’ fifty fifth recreation this yr, making Ohtani the third participant in Dodgers historical past to hit 20-plus house runs in that point interval, becoming a member of Gil Hodges in 1951 (21) and Cody Bellinger in 2019 (20).
The homer wasn’t the basic Ohtani blast. More often than not, his homers are majestic moonshots into the higher deck in proper area. This time he stayed with a Bibee cutter away and poked it over Progressive Discipline’s house run porch in left area. It wouldn’t have been a house run at Dodger Stadium.
“He has much more margin for error,” supervisor Dave Roberts mentioned with a chuckle.
It’s the second time this season Ohtani has homered in three straight video games (Could 14-16), and the tenth time in his profession.
As well as, Ohtani is now tied for third with Bellinger (June 2017) and Adrian Beltré (August 2004) for probably the most homers by a Dodger in a calendar month, with 13. Pedro Guerrero (June 1985) and Duke Snider (August 1953) are tied for probably the most, with 15.
“There’s a little bit of jealousy there,” Max Muncy mentioned. “He does stuff that no regular human being can do.”
Neither Ohtani nor Bibee thought it was gone off the bat, as Ohtani sprinted out of the batter’s field earlier than breaking right into a jog as soon as it cleared the fence, whereas Bibee stared slack-jawed on the ball’s path earlier than mouthing “Oh my God” when the ball cleared the fence.
“I believe lots of people thought it was a popup,” Bibee mentioned. “I imply, I did, too. I assumed I used to be out of the inning. Not plenty of lefty hitters can go to the other area at our park.”
Ohtani completed the sport 1-for-3 with the house run, two walks and two strikeouts.
“He didn’t get it flush. … It was like a helium ball,” Roberts mentioned.
Though Ohtani couldn’t make it three straight days with a leadoff house run, it was one other majestic blast that showcased why he’s among the finest hitters in baseball.
Ohtani is now slugging .776 in Could, which is greater than 200 factors higher than his profession mark for the month (.545).
“He’s simply been far more disciplined within the strike zone,” Roberts mentioned.
And if that wasn’t sufficient, he’s closing in on a return to the pitching mound, too.
One of many pitchers tasked with holding down the rotation in Ohtani’s absence is Dustin Could, who put collectively one other sturdy begin. He allowed three runs on 4 hits over 5 innings to go together with a season-high 9 strikeouts. He’s racked up 25 strikeouts over simply 16 innings in his final three outings.
Though Could didn’t keep on the mound lengthy sufficient to set a profession excessive in innings pitched for a season (he’s now simply one-third of a body away from eclipsing his profession excessive of 56), he did his finest to handle a harmful Cleveland lineup. His lone blemish got here when he allowed a three-run house run to Daniel Schneemann within the fourth inning on a fastball that was down the center.
“The swing and miss was there, only one unhealthy pitch,” Could mentioned. “Have to attempt to restrict that going ahead.”
The Dodgers’ different house runs got here from Michael Conforto — who homered for the primary time since April 5 — and Muncy, who homered for the third time in Could.
Muncy and Conforto entered Tuesday’s recreation hitting a mixed .212, however Tuesday served as a reminder of what they will carry to the desk for a group that wants extra manufacturing from the underside of its lineup.
“I believe that we’re seeing plenty of indicators of life, and it simply provides that size that we anticipated at first of the season,” Roberts mentioned.
