Shohei Ohtani has just two hits in his last 24 at-bats. Slumps are a part of baseball, even for the best player in the world. Ohtani is more than likely going to win his fourth MVP after the season, but this is a man who values team accomplishments over personal accolades. If the Dodgers fall before their expected second straight World Series title, this season will be deemed a failure.
So, what's wrong with Ohtani? If I knew the answer to that question, I wouldn't be writing this column. However, I can point to a few noticeable drops in Ohtani's splits over the last month that could give us a clue. Against the Philadelphia Phillies, Ohtani struggled as Rob Thomson trotted lefty after lefty out of his bullpen. While the Dodgers were able to win that series, 3-1, manager Dave Roberts was exceptionally blunt about Ohtani's performance.
“We’re not gonna win the World Series with that sort of performance,” Roberts said Saturday.
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Brewers can exploit Shohei Ohtani, just as the Phillies did before them
Roberts can confidently say that because he knows his opponent. The Milwaukee Brewers feature one of the best pitching staffs in baseball. No matter your weakness, Milwaukee can exploit it. Ohtani doesn't have many holes in his swing, but the Phillies in particular jammed him with inside fastballs repeatedly in the division series. If you think Pat Murphy didn't notice that trend as well, you'd be wrong.
The Phillies also exploited a common Ohtani trend during Game 2 of the NLDS. In games Ohtani pitches in, he tends to shorten his at-bats as to not risk exhaustion. He hit just .222 on days he pitched during the regular season.
“He’s probably trying to conserve energy, not trying to get into at-bats,” Roberts said. “It hasn’t been good when he’s pitched. I do think that’s part of it. We’ve got to think through this and come up with a better game plan.”
There's a good chance Ohtani pitches either in Game 2 or Game 3. You can bet Milwaukee will counter with a left-hander of their own the first chance they get.
Arm angle is everything when facing Shohei Ohtani
Ohtani is one of the best hitters in baseball – arguably Aaron Judge quality – against left-handed hitters who have a normal arm angle and release point. However, against lefties who have an arm angle under 38 degrees, he's been one of the worst hitters in the sport. Don't believe me? The stats back it up.
Per Baseball Savant, during the 2025 regular season, Ohtani had a .232/.270/.326 slash line with an OPS of .596 against left-handers with an arm angle under 38 degrees. Against left-handers with an arm angle of 39 degrees or higher, Ohtani slashed .319/.396/.739 with an OPS of 1.135. In his career, Ohtani slashes just .225 /.300 /.408 against left-handers with an arm angle under 38 degrees. That's a monumental difference.
All three Phillies left-handed starters that Ohtani struggled against had an arm angle of under 38 degrees. The Brewers could have a tough time replicating that success as their rotation isn't loaded with lefties who have such a unique arm angle. However, if they need to go to the bullpen, they may have a few options to face Ohtani in high-leverage situations. Jared Koenig and Robert Gasser both have arm angles well under 38 degrees.
Gasser, who hasn't pitched much this season, but did have a 3.18 ERA when healthy. Koenig had a 2.86 ERA in 72 appearances this season. Both pitchers are well-seasoned and could be used against Ohtani if called upon.
Of course, being that this is Shohei Ohtani, he could flip the script at any given moment. There is no Ohtani-stopper unless he's in a slump. Thankfully for the Brewers, they at least have some options to limit the production of baseball's best player. That's more than most teams can say.