The Los Angeles Dodgers have had a clear ace so far this season. It’s their back-to-back NL MVP.
With seven scoreless innings against the San Francisco Giants, Shohei Ohtani led the Dodgers to a 4-0 win Wednesday to break a season-long four-game losing streak. His ERA is now down to an MLB-best 0.82, half a run better than the closest pitcher (Cam Schlittler, 1.35).
Advertisement
When looking for precedent on the Dodgers for what he’s done in his first seven starts, there is only one answer: Fernandomania.
Ohtani’s final line: 7 innings, 4 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts on 105 pitches, the highest total of his Dodgers career. His fastball topped out at 100.6 mph.
He dominated for the first six innings, but ran into trouble in the seventh when Willy Adames and Matt Chapman posted back-to-back one-out singles. Ohtani got a mound visit from pitching coach Mark Prior, but remained in the game and escaped the jam three pitches later when Adames broke for home on a deep fly ball from Drew Gilbert. Andy Pages caught the ball at the warning track, then threw it in for an easy double play.
Wednesday was Ohtani’s fourth start as a pitcher only this season, which is something the Dodgers have done to give him rest in what will hopefully be his first full season as a pitcher with the team. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts also indicated he might get a full off day Thursday amid a slow start at the plate.
Advertisement
The Dodgers’ lineup did fine without Ohtani. Santiago Espinal and Mookie Betts started the scoring with back-to-back homers in the third inning off Giants starter Robbie Ray, who gave up another two runs in a fourth-inning rally.
It was the first time since last Wednesday the Dodgers scored more than three runs.
The win keeps the 25-18 Dodgers a half-game behind the San Diego Padres for the NL West lead.
Could Shohei Ohtani start the All-Star Game?
With a 2.86 career ERA in MLB entering Wednesday, Ohtani had previously ranged from above-average to great as a pitcher. He’s on another level so far this season.
Advertisement
A fun game right now is trying to figure out his worst performance of 2026 on the mound. Was it it his season-high in earned runs allowed, when he also struck out eight and walked none in seven innings against the Houston Astros on May 5? Or his season low in innings, which is six innings in five different games? He didn’t allow more than a single earned run in any of those starts.
However, the Dodgers’ offense has been quiet enough that the team had lost his previous three starts.
There is no way a 0.82 ERA is sustainable for an entire season, but even Ohtani’s most pessimistic peripherals paint the picture of an elite pitcher. And if he keeps this up for another month, it’s hard to see how Dodgers manager Dave Roberts doesn’t pick him to start on the mound for the NL All-Star team.
The top of the NL is currently an embarrassment of riches, pitching-wise. Ohtani has been nearly untouchable. Paul Skenes has been the best pitcher in baseball since his bad Opening Day start. Jacob Misiorowski is doing things we’ve simply never seen from a starting pitcher. Cristopher Sánchez has thrown more innings than any of them, with a 2.11 ERA.
Advertisement
The All-Star Game starting pitcher debate is also a dress rehearsal for the Cy Young debate, though it is obviously still May, with four more months of baseball to play. For now, though, Ohtani is pitching better than ever and ranks behind only Skenes in the BetMGM odds at +400.
And he remains the overwhelming -325 favorite to win a fifth career MVP award.
