Could Dodgers' pitching woes alter their plans for Shohei Ohtani?

Brewers first baseman Andrew Vaughn, acquired in a June trade with the Chicago White Sox, hit a three-run, 409-foot home run in his first at-bat with Milwaukee. In 48 games with the White Sox entering Monday, Vaughn slashed .189/.218/.314 with five home runs in 185 at-bats.

Yamamoto has been one of the most dependable starters for the Dodgers, who have dealt with a cavalcade of pitcher injuries this season. But his rough outing was a reminder of the fraught position Los Angeles is in regarding its starting rotation.

The Dodgers received a bit of positive news earlier Monday when manager Dave Roberts revealed that right-hander Tyler Glasnow, who has been on the injured list since April 28, will start Wednesday against the Brewers. 

However, based on what we've seen from Ohtani in limited action, he likely has the most upside of any possible options in the Dodgers rotation.

Los Angeles has taken a cautious approach with its $700M dollar, 2024 NL MVP. Ohtani didn't pitch at all last season while recovering from 2023 Tommy John surgery and hasn't pitched more than two innings in four starts this year.

Per a recent Los Angeles Times article, "While Roberts called it 'feasible' for him to get stretched out to five or six innings, the team still doesn’t 'know what that’s going to be.'"

“In a rehab progression, it’s really important to just take one step at a time,” Ohtani said, per the Los Angeles Times. “There are times when I may be able to go another inning, but it’s really important not to take unnecessary risks and make sure that I can progress consistently.”

Ohtani has allowed one earned run and four hits with six strikeouts in six innings pitched. In his most recent outing, a 6-4 loss to the Houston Astros on Saturday, he threw a season-high 31 pitches and struck out the side in the top of the second.

Most teams wouldn't be as fortunate as Los Angeles has been in avoiding ill effects from Ohtani's pitching limitations. The Dodgers (56-36) have the NL's best record and lead the NL West by 6.5 games over the San Diego Padres (48-41) and San Francisco Giants (49-42) despite losing four games in a row.

They've built their lead in large part due to being the league's best team at the plate. Entering Monday, they were the only the team in the majors with at least 500 runs scored. 

But the offense has struggled during the current losing streak, with the Dodgers averaging 1.8 runs per game and being outscored, 38-7.

Los Angeles has a big enough cushion where this ongoing cold stretch has yet to make much of a dent. However, the longer it continues — particularly on the mound — the thinner the team's patience might wear.

As wise as the Dodgers are to protect their most valuable asset, they must begin getting better production from their other starters to keep Ohtani on schedule.