The Los Angeles Dodgers opened their series against the Colorado Rockies with a thrilling win on Monday night, becoming the first team in MLB this season to reach 60 victories.
In the bottom of the 11th inning, catcher Dalton Rushing delivered a walk-off single that scored Teoscar Hernandez and gave Los Angeles an 8-7 victory.
Rushing, Kyle Tucker, and Shohei Ohtani each collected three hits, while Ohtani launched his 299th career home run. After turning 32 over the weekend, he’s now just one homer away from reaching the 300 mark.
Dave Roberts Gets Honest About Ohtani
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts spoke to the media after the win and offered an honest assessment of Ohtani’s recent play.
From Roberts’ perspective, Monday marked the first time in quite a while that Ohtani truly looked like himself.
“Tonight was the first night in a while that he actually looked like Shohei,” Roberts said after the game.
Dave Roberts reacts to Shohei Ohtani’s performance against the Rockies tonight:
“Tonight was the first night in a while that he actually looked like Shohei.”
— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) July 7, 2026
Ohtani has recently dealt with soreness in his biceps, an issue he also experienced earlier this season. However, Roberts said the initial injury was so minor that he didn’t even know it existed until days later.
“[The last one was] so benign that I didn’t hear about it until [Friday night],” Roberts said over the weekend. “It’s the first I heard of it, so it didn’t take him out of playing [the first time].”
Ohtani’s 2026 Campaign
Ohtani has battled a handful of minor, yet notable, injuries this season. Even so, he continues to produce at an elite level at the plate, earning another All-Star starting nod as the American League’s designated hitter while also putting together one of the best pitching seasons of his career.
At the plate, Ohtani is batting .294 with 93 hits, 19 home runs, and 55 RBIs while posting a .535 slugging percentage and a .944 OPS.
On the mound, he has been just as dominant, compiling an 8-2 record, a 1.79 ERA, and a 2.8 WAR across 14 starts. He has also struck out 95 batters in 85.2 innings pitched.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Dave Roberts Sends Honest Message About Shohei Ohtani During Rockies Series appeared first on HEAVY.