Straight Talk: Ohtani thinks cold bat has him in pitching-only role as L.A. falls

"Straight Talk" is a regular feature in which The Sporting Tribune's John E. Gibson offers a full translation of media availability with Dodgers Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki. He will also help translate when Lakers star Rui Hachimura and LA Galaxy captain Maya Yoshida are asked questions in Japanese.

The job of interpreters in the heat of the moment is difficult without the ability to write down questions and answers and re-hear responses for proper context. That's where John comes in to help. John currently works as a Japanese-English interpreter and covered pro baseball in Japan for about 20 years. His experience as a sports reporter includes stints at The Orange County Register, The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, The Redlands Daily Facts, The Yomiuri Shimbun’s English newspaper in Tokyo and The Epoch Times.

HOUSTON – Shohei Ohtani (2-2) works seven innings for the Dodgers for the first time this season, but he surrenders a pair of longballs that cost him the game in a 2-1 decision against the Houston Astros on Tuesday night at Daikin Park. Ohtani takes the loss despite giving up just four hits with no walks and eight strikeouts as his ERA goes to 0.98.

Q: Shohei, first, let’s just start with you talked about wanting to get into the seventh inning. For you to just navigate through them, be very efficient, how did you find just what was working for you, and how were you able to get deeper into the game today?

Ohtani: Hmm, the balls that were hit well went for home runs, so other than those pitches, things were good. But they were both mistakes that led to runs.

Q: What do you think led to the two hits that were homers, did you think it was location, execution?

Ohtani: Both were opposite of where I was trying to go, so it was a matter of skill. The hitters did a great job of getting it done in that situation – they didn’t foul them off and kept them in play. They were mistakes, but I think if I get those pitches in different spots, the result might’ve been different.

Q: Shohei, you’ve been clear about wanting to do what’s best for the team and whatever the team decides, but is it hard at all in a tight game like this to not be able to affect it on the offensive side?

Ohtani: Well, the offense, including myself, hasn’t been good. I think the decision by the team is that it’s better if I concentrate on pitching for the best team outcome. I feel like if I were hitting better, it would be a situation in which they would want me to hit. So, it starts with me getting into better form and upping my game, that’s what I have to do.

Q: What has been happening to you offensively, and do you think the return to fulltime pitching might’ve played a role in the slump being a little bit longer than usual for you?

Ohtani: Well, I really don’t think that at all. And there are certainly times in which you drop off. But it’s not really good to have periods of ups and downs that have you searching. Still, to not have a hit for this long I think shouldn’t happen. So as I continue to draw walks, it’s necessary to start with a good stance and then put a good swing on the ball to produce a positive outcome when I put the ball in play.