Shohei Ohtani Is Stuck in a Nightmare and the Dodgers Have No Fix in Sight

The Los Angeles Dodgers are drowning, and they know it. After mustering just four runs across back-to-back games against Atlanta and dropping two of three in that series, Los Angeles is desperate for anything that remotely resembles an offensive spark. Now comes the rival Giants on Monday night to start a four-game set, and the Dodgers better figure things out fast because this funk has been going on for way too long.

Manager Dave Roberts didn't sugarcoat it after the Braves series. "As far as building innings, we just haven't been able to do that," he said. "As a unit, I don't think that we're one piece right now. It's not from a lack of effort. We've been in this funk for quite some time." That's the kind of statement that tells you everything. The effort is there. The talent is there. But somehow, none of it is clicking together.

Ohtani's Numbers Tell a Brutal Story

The biggest red flag? Shohei Ohtani went 2-for-12 with four strikeouts in the Atlanta series, and his batting average has now tanked to .241. For a guy who is supposed to be carrying this offense, those numbers are alarming. The Dodgers need their star player looking like a star, not looking lost at the plate.

Sasaki Gets Another Chance to Turn It Around

On the mound, Dodgers right-hander Roki Sasaki (1-3, 5.97 ERA) will take the ball in Monday's opener. He threw six innings against St. Louis on May 2, allowing three runs on five hits, but took the loss 3-2. That was his first six-inning outing of the year. Sasaki will face San Francisco for the first time in his career, and the 24-year-old needs to build on that performance if Los Angeles has any hope of stopping the bleeding.

The Giants are no powerhouse coming in with the third-worst record in the National League, but they just took two of three from Pittsburgh and are riding some momentum into this first of 10 straight road games. Right-hander Trevor McDonald (1-0, 1.29) gets the start for San Francisco, and this kid threw seven innings of one-run, two-hit ball in his season debut last Monday against San Diego, striking out eight with zero walks. He's only in his third career start, but that performance ended a six-game losing streak for the Giants.

The Dodgers need this one badly. Los Angeles cannot afford to let a Giants team this flawed leave town with anything close to a split.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.