Shohei Ohtani moves closer to 50-50, but Dodgers lose to Marlins

The at-bat that mattered most to the baseball world Tuesday night came in the third inning at loanDepot Park, when Shohei Ohtani continued his push toward 50-50 history by belting a second-deck blast for his 48th home run.

In the Dodgers’ 11-9 loss to the Miami Marlins, however, the Japanese slugger and favorite for National League most valuable player seemed more worried about his other at-bats in a one-for-five performance; most notably, a sixth-inning opportunity when he stranded runners on the corners with his third strikeout of the game.

“The homer helped kind of close the gap,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton, after a game in which the Dodgers never recovered from a poor Bobby Miller start (four runs, two innings) and shaky performance from the bullpen (seven runs in six innings).

“But not being able to hit with runners on first and third,” Ohtani added, “that’s something I’m looking back on.”

Such an answer illustrated the duality of Ohtani’s late-season mindset.

Read more: Will Dodgers pitching injuries lead to Shohei Ohtani, World Series pitching hero?

The global superstar has tried to block out the incessant chatter surrounding his pursuit of Major League Baseball’s first 50-homer, 50-stolen base season — an unprecedented mark he seems increasingly likely to reach with 11 games to go, standing at 48-48.

"It's something I will look back on at the end of the season,” Ohtani said last week, as the spotlight began to intensify. “I'm trying to be less cognizant of it."

Instead, Ohtani is focused on syncing up his swing mechanics before his potential postseason debut, having batted just .237 since the start of September (albeit with four home runs, 12 RBIs and five stolen bases).

“Regardless of the situation, being able to have good mechanics is something that is difficult to maintain,” Ohtani said. “But I’m really just one little thing away from feeling good. So in terms of that, yeah, it’s a little difficult.”

After crossing the 40-40 threshold in triumphant fashion last month, when he joined the exclusive six-player club with a late August surge punctuated by a walk-off grand slam at Dodger Stadium, Ohtani’s path to 50-50 has felt more like a grind.

The $700-million offseason signing didn’t have a home run or stolen base in last weekend’s four-game series in Atlanta, his longest stretch without either since early June. And though he launched a 402-foot blast Tuesday night, his habit of chasing pitches out of the zone — especially in leverage situations with runners in scoring position — cost him in the sixth inning, as he whiffed on consecutive changeups off the plate from Marlins reliever Lake Bachar in what was a 7-6 game.

“Throughout the game today, I didn’t feel really convicted about the zone I wanted to swing at,” said Ohtani, who is hitting only .223 with runners in scoring position, well below his overall .287 average. “That’s something I’m going to work on.”

While Ohtani repeatedly has downplayed the 50-50 chase, manager Dave Roberts shed light on what his star is experiencing. Last week Roberts grinned slyly when asked if he thinks Ohtani cares about reaching the milestone.

“He cares,” Roberts said. “I think he wants to be the best player that’s ever played this game, and one way to do that is to do something nobody has ever done. Which he has already done. But, you also like round numbers.”

There is, however, a flip side to that coin, with Roberts acknowledging Tuesday recent that 50-50 seemed to be “front of mind” for his leadoff hitter, particularly in some of his unsuccessful swings.

“Sometimes there’s a premeditated take or there’s a premeditated swing,” Roberts said. “What I’ve seen, when he’s going his best, is he’s hitting more balls to the big part of the field, and then it allows you to see the ball just a tick longer and be a little bit more of a disciplined hitter.”

Roberts appreciates the difficulty of Ohtani’s task. While the manager doesn’t think Ohtani is feeling pressure to reach 50-50 — Ohtani echoed the same sentiment Tuesday — he does think Ohtani “just wants to get it over with,” with the Dodgers trying to hold on to a 3½-game lead in the National League West.

“When he’s swinging at good pitches, that will all happen,” Roberts said. “So, I mean, he doesn’t feel pressure. He’s still playing hard. He plays everyday. He’s still obviously a threat when he’s in the box. He’s having a tremendous season. [It’s about] just trying to stay focused on that particular at-bat and getting a good pitch to hit.”

However, there's been another subplot in the last week. On multiple occasions during this trip, Roberts has discussed the possibility of Ohtani pitching in a potential playoff series, assuming his rehab from last year’s Tommy John surgery continues to progress as expected.

When asked about that Tuesday, Ohtani said he hasn’t yet had any conversations with the club — though there is a meeting scheduled with team officials next week to “discuss the overall rehab progression" — and that he was “not sure” if he’d be capable of handling it physically.

The good news for Ohtani: 50-50 appears to be close.

He hasn’t had an 11-game stretch with fewer than two stolen bases since June 20 to July 3, and hasn’t had an 11-game stretch with fewer than two home runs since May 21 to June 4.

While his focus might be somewhat divided — between his march toward history, continued pitching progression and preparation for a potential postseason — 50-50 is well within sight.

“It’s something that’s obviously been cumulatively added to during the year,” he said. “That really shows I’ve been contributing to the team. That being said, the team is going through a little bit of a struggle, so my focus is trying to contribute to the team regardless.”

Gonsolin ‘conversation’ nearing

The Dodgers weren’t anticipating Tony Gonsolin returning this season from Tommy John surgery. But with Gonsolin continuing to make progress in his recovery, and the Dodgers in desperate need of whatever pitching help they can get before October, the right-hander might be an option after all.

Read more: Plaschke: Tyler Glasnow done? Dodgers' annual meltdown begins now

Roberts announced Tuesday that Gonsolin will make his third minor-league rehab start with triple-A Oklahoma City this weekend, and the club hopes he can complete four innings.

If that goes well, Roberts said, the Dodgers could have a “conversation” about activating Gonsolin before the end of the regular season — leaving the door open for him to either start games or pitch bulk innings out of the bullpen down the stretch and, potentially, in the postseason.

Roberts acknowledged that Gonsolin remains a “longer shot” to shoulder any significant load. As recently as a few weeks ago, he said Gonsolin joining the team would happen only under a “crazy scenario.”

But the Dodgers’ current situation would qualify. They have lost Tyler Glasnow for the season, are unlikely to get Gavin Stone back from a shoulder injury and remain uncertain of Clayton Kershaw’s status as he battles a toe injury.

“It’s still a longer shot, but I’m really impressed that Tony has taken this really seriously as a potential opportunity,” Roberts said of Gonsolin, the 2022 All-Star who underwent surgery last August.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.