The Los Angeles Dodgers withheld Shohei Ohtani from their starting lineup for their series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday. The four-time MVP has been the Dodgers' best batter all season, but hasn't performed up to his regular standard as of late.
August didn't treat him well, as he posted an OPS south of .800 over the course of a full month for the first time this season. His struggles have persisted into September, as he went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts in the Dodgers' extra-innings loss to the Cardinals on Wednesday. A possible cause for his struggles are his recent attempts to ramp back up towards a return to the mound, as he hasn't pitched since before the All-Star break due to a knee and biceps injury, though he insists his pitching efforts don't effect him at the plate.
The Dodgers are in an extremely poor run of form at the moment, posting a 13-15 record since the beginning of August, and are likely just giving their best player an extra day of rest amid a stretch of nine games without a break. Ohtani, despite his recent struggles, still has All-Star numbers at the plate. He has a .906 OPS this season, hitting 30 homers and driving in 80 runs on the year.
All three of those numbers rank as the best on the team. Pitchers still clearly fear the reigning MVP, as he leads the National League with 16 intentional walks this season. While his numbers are fantastic, Ohtani's odds of winning the NL MVP for a third consecutive season are steadily slipping through his fingers.
Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, after an unbelievable hot streak spanning several months, is the odds on favorite to bring home the award at just 24 years old. He leads all of baseball with 8.4 bWAR, scoring a league-leading 102 runs while also leading the NL with a .943 OPS. Additionally, he has 38 homers and 32 steals on the year, marking the second consecutive season in which he has accomplished that feat.
Ohtani has just one month to get things back on track, or his title as the National League's MVP is in serious jeopardy.
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