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<\/p>\nTORONTO \u2014 There is no blueprint for Shohei Ohtani, which means every time he takes the mound for the Los Angeles Dodgers will be a checkpoint on how to keep him healthy. Nothing matters more for the winner of the last two World Series.<\/p>\n
No one else is capable of doing what Ohtani is doing, but his two-way talents cannot simply be bottled up and preserved for October. The Dodgers will need to strike the right balance to get the most out of him. It\u2019s an impossible task, even if Ohtani has built a career out of making the impossible possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no exact science,\u201d manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday. \u201cYou\u2019re just going to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ohtani didn\u2019t have his sharpest performance in his second start of the season against the Toronto Blue Jays. He struggled with his command and threw too many pitches early. He went six innings but recorded just two strikeouts, something he had never done in his career. For the first time in 24 2\/3 innings, he allowed a run. His final line score speaks to his otherworldly talent: he only allowed the one unearned run, exiting in line for the win before the bullpen blew a late lead in a 4-3 loss.<\/p>\n
Then there\u2019s this.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t feel that great,\u201d Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. The Dodgers had rearranged their rotation on this six-game road trip to ensure there would be an off day after Ohtani\u2019s start. He had seven days\u2019 rest between outings as a result. Still, Ohtani mentioned the end of the road trip as an explanation for how he was feeling. Maybe his mechanics were a little off. Maybe he was fatigued.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not sure if that was the main cause,\u201d Ohtani said, \u201cbut I want to make sure that I\u2019m addressing, if any, some mechanical changes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ohtani still threw 96 pitches, his most in a regular-season game since becoming a Dodger. His fastball velocity averaged 98.3 mph, up from his last start and perhaps a compensation for his lackluster command. He touched 100.1 mph on his fastball to strike out Kazuma Okamoto and get out of trouble in the first inning. Nothing about his arsenal appeared physically compromised. His ERA is still 0.00 through 12 innings.<\/p>\n
\u201cPretty impressive, to be honest with you, given how he felt,\u201d Roberts said.<\/p>\n
Wednesday\u2019s start was a reminder not only that Ohtani has the talent to win the Cy Young award he seeks, but also of how difficult that would be to accomplish. The Dodgers got a test run at what a two-way Ohtani looks like and how to best manage it last summer. That is not a one-to-one comparison; Ohtani didn\u2019t throw his first pitch until June, and didn\u2019t pitch into the sixth inning for the first time until his last start of the regular season.<\/p>\n
Ohtani pitched Game 7 of the World Series in this very building, throwing on short rest for the second time ever in the major leagues. He was exhausted by the end.<\/p>\n
The Dodgers still have to figure out how to manage this over the course of a full season. For as good as he is on the mound, he\u2019s just as important at the plate. Ohtani slugged three home runs on this road trip after complaining about how his swing felt after the first six games of the season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s going in the right direction,\u201d Ohtani said.<\/p>\n
The Dodgers know what they can expect out of Ohtani at the plate. Getting the most out of their offense likely relies on the production of the hitters at the bottom of the order, who set the table for Ohtani, Kyle Tucker, Freddie Freeman and the rest of the stars in the middle. It\u2019s a simple formula.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u200b\u200bIf those guys are getting on base for the top, we\u2019re going to score some runs,\u201d Roberts said.<\/p>\n
Those hitters did their job on this road trip. It\u2019s a small sample, but they hit 25-for-69 (.362) with nine extra-base hits over the Dodgers\u2019 six-game stretch. The offense as a whole combined to score 52 runs after logging 23 runs over the first six games of the season. It shouldn\u2019t be a surprise they won five of six games with that kind of production against the lowly Washington Nationals and struggling Blue Jays.<\/p>\n
The Dodgers are hoping this kind of production is a sign of things to come. Their 1.003 OPS out of the bottom three spots in the order entering Wednesday is likely an unsustainable figure, but it is the best in baseball so far.<\/p>\n
Those three spots had just a .663 OPS a year ago (tied for 16th in the majors), struggling in particular down the stretch run. The Dodgers\u2019 offense as a whole lagged as a result.<\/p>\n
Mookie Betts\u2019 injury throws a wrinkle into things, even if just for a little while. His absence has moved Andy Pages up in the order after Pages\u2019 red-hot start fueled much of that early production. Alex Freeland is now locked into everyday at-bats; he\u2019s had an up-and-down start, going quiet after his explosive first game of the season before putting up a three-hit day on Tuesday night. Not having Betts at shortstop means a platoon between Miguel Rojas and Hyeseong Kim at the position.<\/p>\n
Kim has made a strong impression upon his return to the big leagues. The Dodgers need him to stabilize his swing and avoid spinning out when rotating his hips, something he\u2019s shown in flashes through his first handful of games. It was noteworthy on Tuesday when Kim hung in on a fastball on his hands from Toronto\u2019s Kevin Gausman, lining it 101.9 mph for a double.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, it looks good,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cI think he\u2019s into the ground much better. I think the swing decisions are better mechanically. It looks great.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing hits a home run against the Blue Jays on Monday in Toronto. (Nick Turchiaro \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n
Dalton Rushing is keenly aware of the reality of his current situation, which made the joke he made after his career-best night on Monday feel all the more real.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s only downhill from here,\u201d Rushing said after he went 4-for-4 and hit a pair of home runs in a thumping of the Blue Jays. The Dodgers\u2019 young backup catcher had already homered the day before in the series finale against the Nationals, and got the start for the second consecutive day because Roberts wanted Will Smith to catch Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Ohtani.<\/p>\n
Rushing made the most of it. There just might be a ceiling for how high he can go right now.<\/p>\n