Shohei Ohtani News: Homers, punches out eight

Ohtani did not factor into the decision Wednesday against the Cardinals, allowing a run on two hits and no walks while striking out eight over four innings. At the plate, he went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer.

While the Dodgers would ultimately come up short against the Cardinals, it was a vintage performance from Ohtani, who threw a season-high 54 pitches over four innings. After giving up a lone run in the top of the third inning, Ohtani put the Dodgers back in front with a two-run shot off Matthew Liberatore in the bottom half of the frame, which was his 39th homer this year and the 1,000th hit of his eight-year MLB career. While he'll likely be limited in a pitching capacity during the regular season, Ohtani's posted a strong 2.37 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 25:5 K:BB across 19 innings. At the plate, he's slashing .276/.381/.606 with 106 runs scored, 75 RBI and 16 stolen bases in 112 games.