'In a zone': Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani early Cy Young favorite, but his bat lags

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani continued to prove why he is the best player in baseball with an outstanding pitching performance against the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday. In his seventh start of the season, Ohtani tossed seven scoreless innings, walking two and striking out eight on 105 pitches (71 strikes). 

Ohtani's scoreless outing against the Giants lowered his season ERA to a big-league-best 0.82. New York Yankees right-hander Cam Schlitter is second with a 1.35 ERA in 53.1 innings. 

The closest National League pitcher to Ohtani in ERA is Atlanta Braves right-hander Bryce Elder (1.81 in 54.2 innings), who is sixth in MLB. Ohtani's ERA is the lowest by a Dodgers pitcher since left-hander Fernando Valenzuela, who had a 0.29 ERA in his first seven starts in 1981. 

Valenzuela went on to win the National League Cy Young Award that season and Rookie of the Year, finishing with a 13-7 record and a 2.48 ERA in 25 starts. According to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, three-time MVP Ohtani is on a roll as a pitcher. 

"Like I've said for a long time, he's a different person when he's pitching," Roberts said, per MLB.com's Sonja Chen. "I think he wants to win the Cy Young. I think that helps the Dodgers, too, in 2026. When he's pitching, I just sort of let him go and … he's in a zone."

Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani has stiff competition to win the National League Cy Young Award

Overall, Ohtani is 3-2 with a 0.82 ERA and has 50 strikeouts in 44 innings. That's an excellent line that makes him an early favorite to win the Cy Young Award. However, Ohtani has stiff competition in Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Paul Skenes and Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sanchez. 

Skenes and Sanchez both have two more starts (nine) than Ohtani and are having impressive seasons of their own. Skenes, the reigning National League Cy Young winner, is 6-2 with a 1.98 ERA.

Sanchez, who finished runner-up to Skenes last season, is 4-2 with a 2.11 ERA. He anchored the rotation while right-hander Zack Wheeler recovered from offseason surgery. 

Both pitchers are performing well and are used differently than Ohtani, typically taking the mound twice a week compared to his once-weekly schedule. That workload advantage could ultimately factor into the award race, given their higher innings totals.

Shohei Ohtani isn't guaranteed to win the MVP award just because he's a unicorn

Ohtani's impressive pitching performance this season has come at a cost. The five-time All-Star has not been himself at the plate this season, batting .240 with a .796 OPS and seven home runs in 39 games. 

This is far from the MVP season he delivered the two previous seasons (.282/.392/.622 with a 1.014 OPS last season and .310/.390/.646 with a 1.036 OPS in 2024). The two-time World Series winner has stiff competition to win the MVP award, especially with his down season at the dish. 

Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson, Colorado Rockies outfielder Mickey Moniak and Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber are all deserving of consideration.

 Olson is hitting .295 with a 1.012 OPS in 43 games. 

Moniak, who is having a breakout season, is batting .315 with a 1.051 OPS (leads the National League), while Schwarber is batting .226 with a .963 OPS and leads MLB in home runs (17). 

Strong seasons by these three could help dethrone Ohtani for MVP..