Dodgers’ Otani Faces RBI Struggles Despite Stellar Performance,โฃ Manager Roberts Voices Concern
LOS ANGELES – Despite maintainingโฃ an impressive OPS and hitting 32 soloโฃ home runs out of his 46 โtotal, Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shoheiโ Otani isโ experiencing a concerning lackโ of โขrunโ support, leading to a significant drop in RBIs โขand prompting criticism from managerโค Dave Roberts. otani currently ranks 87th in โthe league with his RBI total, a stark contrast to his โoverall offensive dominance.
The issue stemsโ from a consistent inability to drive in runners, highlighted by a โขrecent game where Otani wentโค 2-for-5 โwith no runners on base.โค This echoes aโ pattern seen earlier in the season, brieflyโฃ improved by โthe presence of infielder Kim โHye-sung, but resurfacing as theโ Dodgers’ lower batting order โstruggles to create opportunities. Otani recorded just 10โฃ RBIs โฃin March and April, surged โto 27โฃ in May with 15 home runs, but saw that number decline to 12 in August.
Roberts expressed frustration โคafter the game, stating, “In such situations, it is necessary to keep the swing compact and use a large field to return the runners. If there is a small approach to getting the first goal, the developments will expand beyond that. That’s why it’s a frustrating experience for everyone.” The Dodgers’ offensive strategy relies on building momentum โfrom the topโ of the lineup,but the team is failing to capitalize when Otani โreaches base without runners ahead of him.
Contributing to the problem are hitters like Comfort,โข Freeland, Rushing, and E.โ Hernandez, all batting below a .100 average. While Pajes,with 78 RBIs,occasionally bats seventh,the Dodgers are strugglingโฃ to consistently generate scoring chances for โฃone of baseball’s most impactful players. Otaniโ boasts a score of 125, but his last multi-RBI game occurred โขon July 27th.
Following the game,Otani spoke with โฃpitcher Yamamoto Yushin,appearing to be in good spirits despite the team’s offensive challenges.The Dodgers will look to โฃavoidโข a series sweep in their final game against the opposing team, with Cy Young Award candidate Skeenes scheduled to pitch.