MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Shohei Ohtani forcefully rebounded from a rough inning on the mound to earn yet another win for the major league -leading Los Angeles Dodgers.
The two-way superstar carried his struggling catcher Dalton Rushing along with him, showing there's even more to his marvelous game than simply pitching and hitting.
Ohtani had eight strikeouts over six innings before yielding to the bullpen in the 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday,
and he helped himself at the plate with an RBI single to spark a three-run third inning that put the Dodgers in front for the rest of the night.
But the bottom of the second at Target Field — where the Twins announced their first sellout of the season — was ugly.
Three hits off Ohtani loaded the bases with one out, before he and Rushing got crossed up on a pitch that escaped the catcher's glove and zipped toward the backstop to let in a run. Two more scored on Ryan Kreidler's single that gave the Twins a 3-1 lead.
Rushing, the 2022 second-round draft pick who has temporarily taken over as the primary catcher while three-time All-Star Will Smith is on the injured list with neck inflammation, was expecting an off-speed pitch. Ohtani threw a 101 mph fastball, wincing with slumped shoulders as he saw the run come across. Rushing was charged with a passed ball, making one of the three runs against Ohtani unearned.
“They were just out of sync early, and you could tell,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I think both guys were frustrated and trying to get on the same page.”
Ohtani, through his interpreter after the game, offered his usual diplomatic assessment about his work with Rushing, who's in his second major league season.
“The in-game flexibility, reading the swings, reading how the hitters are really taking their approach during the game — that's how I see what adjustment needs to happen,” Ohtani said. “In that sense, I personally realized we just have to be better at being on the same page and communicating throughout the game.”
Rushing, for his part, was particularly upset with himself that Ohtani had to essentially take over the pitch calling process to get through the night.
“Good thing he’s as good as he is and he can take control of the game, but it’s pretty embarrassing,” said Rushing, who also went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts and a foul pop out at the plate. “They’ve always got my back. Once again, it’s embarrassing that I need support like that. I’m a grown man, and it’s a pretty tough pill to swallow.”
Ohtani, who has pitched through lingering soreness in his left knee and a blister on his right middle finger this month, has logged quality starts of six or more innings with three or fewer earned runs in 11 of 13 turns. The four-time MVP award winner has also reached base safely in 23 straight road games, batting .381 with 24 RBIs over those contests.
Ohtani had an 0.74 ERA over his first 10 starts with Smith as his catcher. Since the injury, over three turns with Rushing behind the plate, Ohtani has a 4.34 ERA.
“Showing Rush my pitching style I’m capable of, that’s really another way of being able to communicate,” Ohtani said. “In an ideal world, where I want to be is both of us to pitch in and really be able to shine because we have very different talents.”
Rushing doesn't have to be concerned about losing his role, Roberts said.
“It’s a work in progress. He wants to do really well and he expects a lot of himself, so when he’s not doing what he expects then he gets frustrated,” Roberts said. “I think the good thing is he still understands his priority is to serve the pitchers and be behind the plate, but the last few games he’s had a tough go of it.”
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