Shohei Ohtani went 0-for-5 in Detroit on Saturday and is now 5-for-40 over his last 10 games — the worst offensive stretch of his season with the Dodgers. The timing couldn’t be worse. Pete Crow-Armstrong hit three home runs that same afternoon and now leads Ohtani in OPS (.944 vs. .797), home runs (36 vs. 30), and RBI (89 vs. 80) in the NL MVP race. With a month of regular season left and Ohtani not having pitched since July 3, the question is no longer whether the slump arrived — it’s how much damage it has already done.
What’s behind Ohtani’s .125 August
The number that explains the slump is mechanical, not mental. Ohtani is pulling the ball 53.7% of the time in 2026, a significant jump from 43.2% in 2025 and well above his career rate of 40%. That shift has left him exposed to pitches up and away — exactly where opposing pitchers have been living against him. MLB.com and Joey Votto broke down the film and the conclusion is blunt: the Ohtani of August is not the same player who led the MVP race for four months.
The results back that up:
- 11 multi-strikeout games in 27 plate appearances this month
- Season OPS down to .797, well below his career mark of .950
- Batting .125 in August
A .797 OPS is a solid number for almost anyone in MLB. By Ohtani’s standards, it’s a red flag.
The physical picture makes it more complicated
Ohtani hasn’t taken the mound since July 3 due to discomfort in his left knee and right biceps. A bullpen session on Friday, August 29 was cut short at roughly 20 pitches, and manager Dave Roberts confirmed he won’t start Sunday or Tuesday. The Dodgers plan to meet with him in Los Angeles to determine his role for the rest of the regular season. As of now, nothing is settled about a return to pitching.
Why PCA has the real edge right now
Pete Crow-Armstrong closed the weekend with a .282/.377/.567 slash line, 36 home runs, and 89 RBI. His .944 OPS puts him ahead of Ohtani in the categories MVP voters look at first. He joined the 30/30 club on August 18 and at one point this month led all of MLB with a 7.5 WAR — wins above replacement, the metric that captures total value over a league-average player.
Ohtani still has an argument nobody can take away from him: as a pitcher he went 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and 95 strikeouts across 85.2 innings in 14 starts. That two-way value is genuinely unprecedented in the modern game. But betting markets have already shifted toward Crow-Armstrong as the favorite, and analysts at CBS Sports, ESPN, and Sports Illustrated agree the race is legitimately up for grabs.
The problem for Ohtani is that MVP voters see the full season — and August counts. A player who finishes with a .280 average but hits .125 in the final month leaves a different impression than his April and May numbers suggest.
What it means for the Dodgers
Los Angeles entered August 30 at 81-54, leading the NL West, but the slump has hit the team too. The Dodgers had gone 7-3 in their previous 10 games before dropping a 2-1 decision Saturday in Detroit. When Ohtani isn’t producing, the lineup feels it.
Two scenarios are on the table. If Ohtani returns to the mound and finds his offensive form, the two-way case for MVP becomes almost impossible to beat. If he finishes the year as a hitter-only with a .125 August on his résumé, Crow-Armstrong has the numbers to win the award. The meeting the Dodgers are planning with Ohtani in Los Angeles isn’t just about pitching — it’s about the MVP too.
