Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani reacts to Dave Roberts' approach to his two-way status

The Los Angeles Dodgers sent Shohei Ohtani to the mound on Tuesday night for the second game of their three-game series vs. the Houston Astros.

For the third time this season, the Japanese phenom only pitched and didn't hit. Before the game, manager Dave Roberts claimed that he would decide whether Ohtani would play both roles on a start-to-start basis. Following the game, Ohtani shared his honest thoughts on this approach in a talk with SportsNet LA.

Shohei Ohtani admits he's not at his best right now 

"I think the offense, including myself, hasn't done a great job scoring runs, and if there was a situation where I was hitting well, I'm sure the team would want me to pitch and hit as well," Ohtani said through his interpreter. "I understand the situation where 'hey, just focus on pitching. You know, turn the page on the hitting.' I understand that the team might think like that."

Ohtani has been utterly dominant on the mound, but he's struggling mightily at the plate. He's hitting just .240 with a .382 OBP and six home runs. He's also struck out four times in the last five games, going 0-for-17 with six walks.

Of course, it should be just a matter of time before one of the most talented players of all time gets it together, and perhaps not having him endure the wear and tear of playing both roles will help with that. Ohtani suffered his second loss of the season on Tuesday night, but he was brilliant as usual.

He went for a season-high seven innings, striking out eight and giving up four hits, two of which were solo homers to seal a 2-1 defeat. Now, he's more than likely to get back to the plate when the Dodgers face the Astros on Wednesday for the series finale.