Ohtani's Unstoppable Night
Shohei Ohtani dominates six scoreless innings, hits two-run homer in Dodgers' 7-0 victory
Shohei Ohtani put on a two-way masterclass Tuesday night in Phoenix, pitching six scoreless innings and adding three hits as the Los Angeles Dodgers routed the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-0. The performance dropped Ohtani's ERA to a major league-best 0.74, according to Associated Press.
The win was Los Angeles's fifth straight and their 16th in 19 games, pushing their NL West lead to 6.5 games over Arizona. The Dodgers now sit at 40-22 on the season, per Las Vegas Sun.
Ohtani Shuts Down Arizona With Just 89 Pitches
On the mound, Ohtani was nearly untouchable. He allowed just two hits, walked one, and struck out six over six innings. His only real trouble came in the sixth, when a walk and a single put two runners on. He got out of it by inducing a first-pitch double play from Corbin Carroll, per Dodgers Digest.
Manager Dave Roberts pulled Ohtani after 89 pitches, 58 of which were strikes, according to CBS Sports. Ohtani's ERA now stands at 0.74 — the 9th lowest entering the month of June since earned runs became an official stat in 1913 (minimum 50 innings). His pitching record on the season is 6-2.
Tucker's Pool Shot and Freeman's Single Blow It Open
The Dodgers did their offensive damage early. In the second inning, Kyle Tucker hit a 424-foot two-run homer into the Chase Field pool off Arizona starter Zac Gallen, putting Los Angeles up 2-0, per Associated Press. Tucker has been working to "change the narrative" after a slow start to the season.
In the third, Freddie Freeman drove in two more with a single, scoring Ohtani. Max Muncy added an RBI single to make it 5-0. Alex Freeland capped the scoring with a two-run single in the seventh to push the lead to 7-0, per FOX Sports. The Dodgers finished with 16 total hits.
Gallen and the Diamondbacks Struggle to Explain the Sweep
Losing pitcher Zac Gallen fell to 3-5 on the year. He allowed five runs over five innings. Analysts at Burn City Sports noted he has struggled with "execution failure" in two-strike counts throughout the season.
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo called it an "ugly sweep" after the game. He said the Dodgers are "built for the big moment," per Sports Illustrated. Arizona dropped to 32-29 and now trails Los Angeles by 6.5 games in the division.
Historic ERA Fuels MVP and Cy Young Chatter
Ohtani's 0.74 ERA is drawing comparisons to some of baseball's greatest pitching seasons. USA Today's Bob Nightengale wrote, "Might as well start engraving that MVP trophy now," reflecting a media consensus that Ohtani is the clear front-runner for his fifth MVP award.
Analyst Chad Moriyama of Dodgers Digest noted that Ohtani looked "noticeably relaxed" and suggested he has yet to reach his full "comical upside" as a pitcher. Ohtani is also currently leading MLB in both fWAR and bWAR, making his two-way dominance unlike anything seen in the modern game.
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